Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing and Strategies for Improvement
One of the fundamental principles of nursing is the use of research and evidence-based practice (EBP) to improve patient care and outcomes. The translation of research results into effective patient care is hindered when nurses confront hurdles that prevent them from engaging in EBP. A major obstacle is that nurses may not have the time or resources to carefully review and implement the most recent research in their practice. Time for thorough literature reviews may be severely limited due to heavy workloads and hectic schedules.
Implementing formal frameworks like the PICOT format might help overcome this obstacle and improve nursing care by making it easier to utilize evidence. Nurses may improve their evidence-based research skills by using the PICOT framework, which stands for “Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time” (Brunt & Morris, 2023, para. 5). This framework helps nurses to develop focused clinical questions and find relevant literature more quickly. By using this method, nurses may better integrate their practice with the most recent research by synthesizing information and applying it directly to patient care.
Reflecting on the Evolution of My Understanding of Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice
The last eight weeks have caused a change in how I see evidence-based practice and nursing research. The use of the PICOT framework has been the course’s most consequential lesson. I now have a real instrument in the shape of this methodical technique to ask specific research questions and evaluate data critically. In addition to improving my navigation abilities in the research literature, understanding the PICOT aspects has given me the tools to evaluate the relevance and validity of studies, allowing me to provide patient treatment that is more informed and based on evidence.
Thus, improving nursing care requires removing obstacles to evidence-based practice. Nurses may simplify their involvement with research and speed up the process of translating information into better patient outcomes by using frameworks like PICOT. The ever-changing world of nursing research and evidence-based practice needs ongoing education. Equipped with such tools, nurses may confidently and proficiently traverse this ever-changing terrain.
Reference
Brunt, B. A., & Morris, M. M. (2023). Nursing professional development evidence-based practice. National Library of Medicine. Web.