Evidence-Based Practice

This week the discussion focuses on why research and evidenced-based practice are important to the nursing profession.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been emphasized since the publication of the Institute of Medicine’s report “To Err Is Human”. Nurses should be able to not only provide standard care within the scope of practice but also deliver safe care based on the best EBP that is most up-to-date at that time. Furthermore, research is developed based on the current evidence-based practice. Research nurses work on new projects to conceptualize innovative ideas, generate literature research, and conduct clinical trials to develop new evidence-based practice. The reason why evidence-based practice and research are important is because health
professionals are trying the best to avoid human errors and outdated practice to promote optimal patient safety. Many research have been completed to develop new evidence-based practice or evaluate the current practice. These research include weight-based medication practice, maintenance of chest tube patency, daily interruption of sedation, and use of chest physiotherapy in children (Makic, Rauen, Jones, & Fisk, 2015). Current evidence-based practice is often evaluated accordingly through research process to ensure health care professionals use the most up-to-date practice for an optimal outcome of patient safety.
Identify a health related problem that the RN can collaborate on with other disciplines for future research (occupational therapy, physical therapy, or other allied health professionals).
Registered nurses (RN) function as the coordinators in an interdisciplinary team.
My current role as a telephonic cares manager at Humana functions as the “quarterback” who directs my patients to other allied health professionals for non-nursing matters. My patients usually come to me first for any issues, and I help them as much as I can. However, certain things, including insurance benefits, doctor’s appointments, weight loss plans, and financial issues, will be referred to other professionals because of their various resources and knowledge in the particular areas. I think that RNs can collaborate many things with other disciplines for future research. One health related problem that a registered nurse can collaborate with a dietitian is weight loss to managing diabetes and high blood pressure. Many of my patients are obese, diabetic, and hypertensive. Some of them recently had the bariatric surgeries that have turned out to be successful of weight loss. The result of weight loss ultimately has led to decreased blood sugar and high blood pressure. I think the successful rate of a weight loss plan is subject to the collaboration between a registered nurse and a dietitian, which may lead to future research. The nurse is the patient’s caregiver, educator, advocate, and researcher. The dietitian works on the patient’s diet, menu, and calorie intake that the nurse needs to collaborate with the health information and interventions.
What are six priority areas for nursing research
in health teaching, health promotion, and health maintenance?
Six priority areas for weight loss research that a nurse can collaborate with a dietitian include receipts in accessible language, food preparation (food likes and dislikes), calorie counts, disease education, group discuss, and video diaries.
Discuss how the utilization of research to support evidenced-based practice in the healthcare setting?
The utilization of research will support evidence-based practice in the healthcare setting.
Managing patients’ health virtually can be challenging sometimes. Humana offers a service, point of care (POC), to promote the engagement between cares managers, Humana dietitian, patients, and other approved individuals from the patients. The approved individuals may include anybody, such as family members, doctors, other patients. It is important to research the six priority areas for each individual patient to successfully delivery health promotion, health teaching, and health maintenance regarding weight loss. On the participation of POC, the patients who are willing to join the activity will actively interact with the Humana dietitian and cares managers to reveal the progress on a regular basis to reach the agreeable
goal.
Identify or locate what theories or conceptual model/framework grounded core measures and the evidenced-based research that drove them.
Dorothea Orem’s theory of self-care grounds the core measures of the research. Patients who are obese and need help to lose are the ones who have self-care deficits. Some may not be able to prepare healthy food, and others may have limited resources and knowledge to know how to lose weight independently. Furthermore, according to the article, “Promoting Healthy Eating and Weight Loss”, Jeff Bartley revealed how the Watching Our Wight (WOW) club successfully enabled the participants to lose 5.9 kilograms on average over a 12-month period. Three main strategies that the club used to enable the participants to lose weight included recipes in accessible language, food preparation, whole groups joins together for discussions (Bartley, 2011).
Reference
Bartley, J. (2011). Promoting healthy eating and weight loss. Learning Disability Practice, 14(3), 12-16.
Makic, M. B., Rauen, C., Jones, K., & Fisk, A. C. (2015). Continuing to challenge practice to be evidence based. Critical Care Nurse, 35(2), 39-50.