The final project presents a culmination of nursing research and evidence-based practice (EBP)knowledge as students choose a qualitative or quantitative study to critically evaluate, including making a recommendation for utilization in EBP.
In a 5 page paper (excluding title page and references), critically evaluate Study 4:
Mollon, D., Fields, W., Gallo, A.-M., Wagener, R., Soucy, J., Gustafson, B., & Kim, S. C. (2012). Staff practice, attitudes, and knowledge/skills regarding evidence-based practice before and after an educational intervention. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 43(9), 411–419. doi:10.3928/00220124-20120716-89
Abstract
Background: Today's clinicians have different levels of knowledge and skill related to evidence-based practice, depending on their educational background, level of experience, and interest. This multidisciplinary study assessed nurses' baseline and posteducation practice, attitudes, and knowledge/skills regarding evidence-based practice.
Methods: A descriptive pre- and postsurvey design study evaluated clinical staff's practice, attitudes, and knowledge/skills regarding evidence-based practice with the Clinical Effectiveness and Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire.
Results: A total of 327 participants (24%) completed the presurvey and 282 (20%) completed the post survey. No statistically significant changes were found in practice, attitudes, and knowledge/skills after the online education. In the multivariate analysis, online education was not a significant predictor of practice, attitudes, or knowledge/skills regarding evidence-based practice; graduate educational degree, formal evidence-based practice classes, and registered nurse status were statistically significant positive predictors.
Conclusion: Administering self-learning online modules may not be the most effective method for expanding evidence-based practice abilities and knowledge/skills of nurses.
The paper I have below does not follow rubric:
Critical Evaluation
Mollon, D., Fields, W., Gallo, A-M., Wagener, R., Soucy, J., Gustafson, B., & Kim, S.C. (2012). Staff practice, attitudes, and knowledge/skills regarding evidence-based practice before and after an educational intervention. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 43(9), 411-419. doi: 10.3928/00220124-20120716-89
The effectiveness of nursing depends on the ability of healthcare professionals to convert nursing knowledge and skills into practice. Nurses require exceptional educational training that equips them with the required knowledge and skills to understand, diagnose, and solve the many nursing issues in multiple populations. Researchers have attempted to assess the significance of evidence-based practice in improving healthcare effectiveness and promoting better treatment outcomes but there is still scanty information about the nursing intervention. Evidence-based practice is a problem-solving approach that relies on empirical studies and numerical data to guide decision-making and implementation of patient-centered care and support in healthcare facilities (Mazurek, Susan & Kathleen, 2010). Despite its significance in nursing practice, researchers continue to question the best strategies for acquiring evidence-based practice knowledge and skills and how such mechanisms impact healthcare delivery.
Mollon et al. researchers in “Staff Practice, Attitudes, and Knowledge/Skills Regarding Evidence-Based Practice Before and After an Educational Intervention” investigate the essentiality of evidence-based practice, its contribution in improving healthcare delivery, and how clinicians can rely on the processes to facilitate knowledge acquisition and promotion of skillsets development. The authors assess the various ways of acquiring the knowledge and skills of evidence-based practice, the significance of the identified methods, and the correlation between the processes and the expansion of evidence-based practice abilities and knowledge and skills of nurses in their work stations (Mollon et al., 2012). In their study, the researchers used an integrative approach with qualitative and quantitative analyses to probe nurses’ baseline and post-education practice, attitudes, and knowledge and skills regarding evidence-based practice. The researchers used a survey design to collect data from physicians regarding their knowledge, skills, and attitudes towards evidence-based practice, as well the contribution of the approach in improving service delivery to patients within the healthcare facilities (Mollon et al., 2012). 609 participants were considered in both pre-and post-surveys and further the updated SPSS software was used for data analysis.
One of the key derivations from the research by Mollon and others pertain to the essentiality of evidence-based practice in improving nursing care and support. Due to the complexity of the healthcare sector and nursing profession, nurses need to provide care and support to patients based on their specific needs and expectations. Registered nurses apply validated interventions to deliver care to their patients. In nursing institutions, registered nurses are introduced to evidence-based practices that help them make rational and valuable clinical decisions and pinpoint strategies that result in improved treatment outcomes. Recently, evidence-based practice has been termed a key determinant of exceptional patient care within the healthcare sector. Mollon et al.’ article emphasizes the centrality of evidence-based practice in improving patient outcomes and augmenting care delivery in nursing units (Mollon et al., 2012). The authors believe in implementing EBP clinical interventions in managing multiple healthcare needs and illnesses affecting specific populations in the United States and across the globe. The article supports the inclusion of evidence-based practice in nursing because such a strategy provides nurses with a supported understanding of clinical interventions, the benefits and drawbacks of applying such interventions in care settings, with proper guidance on effective decision-making prospects. The article also supports the fact that nurses are informed of current developments in the healthcare industry and how such developments impact nursing care and treatment outcomes. Markedly, Mollon et al. stress the need for healthcare centers to integrate evidence-based practice to improve healthcare services and to augment treatment outcomes for patients.
Exceptional training also contributes to the acquisition of needed knowledge and skills to manage diseases effectively. Success in all professions requires relevant training and education. Relatedly, success in nursing require nurses to access relevant training in certified nursing and medical institutions to acquire knowledge and skills needed for the management of patients. In the article, Mollon et al. put clinical training at the center of successful and productive evidence-based practice. The researchers posit that better practice, positive attitudes, and relevant knowledge and skills come with accessing proper training. The article classifies nursing training into graduate level, diploma, and associate’s degree. Nurses in the three categories exhibit difference in knowledge and skills regarding nursing practice and the implementation of evidence-based practice in their areas of specialties. For instance, according to Mollon et al. (2012), graduate-level education is predictive is a determined of improved and effective clinical practice and higher treatment outcomes. The justification is based on the assumption that graduate-level training exposes learners and nurses to a myriad of clinical contexts with vast exposure to clinical knowledge and opportunities for improving skills.
Alternatively, diploma and associate degree programs have few training opportunities for improving skills and contribute less knowledge than graduate degree training. These discussions focus on the importance of education and training in the acquisition of appropriate knowledge and skills by nurses and the need to implement evidence-based practice in the clinical settings.
The article further notes that advancements in technology also affect nursing practice. Technology integration is a cross-cutting aspect that influences the delivery of care and support in clinical settings because it determines the acquisition of knowledge and their implementation in practice. The article highlights the integral role technology plays in improving nursing practice, changing attitudes, and developing the knowledge and skills required in the nursing profession (Mollon et al., 2012). Within the healthcare settings, nurses acquire additional information regarding evidence-based practice through online study platforms. Nurses also rely on online libraries and research platforms to access information regarding clinical interventions and their impacts on patient care.
The researchers use online education as an intervention and a variable in the study, and further determine its implications on evidence-based practice. In some cases, nurses need to support their formal training based on knowledge and skills acquired from graduate, diploma, and associate’s degree studies with online modules. The validity of this assumption is achieved in the article. Nonetheless, online educational programs do not improve evidence-based practice (Mollon et al., 2012). The authors maintain that successful evidence-based practice implementation requires formally acquired knowledge and skills from recognized institutions. Consequently, the successful implementation of evidence-based practices in the present-day nursing sector requires graduate certificates and not online learning platforms.
The study by Mollon et al. informs on the vitality of evidence-based practice in improving clinical practice. Readers of this information perceive evidence-based practice as the future of a competent nursing practice. However, there is a need to stress the role of online research in perfecting nursing practice. Nurses need to understand that effective nursing practice starts with gaining knowledge and skills in published articles. They should also understand that nursing has a rich history of using research to support practice. Therefore, as much as the article emphasizes the role of educational qualifications in supplementing nursing practice, the purpose of online nursing research should be embraced. Facilitating active online research in clinical settings require that hospitals integrate technology within healthcare environments, and provide nurses with education regarding the use of specific technologies in providing care and support to patients. Hospitals should also provide nurses access to a rich and trusted library with nursing and medical journals discussing the integration and effectiveness of evidence-based practice.
In such contexts, nurses are given opportunities to use computers to search through the internet about evidence-based practices and their implementation within care settings. The text highlights that hospitals should encourage their staff to critically appraise and synthesize research articles that present findings about evidence-based practice; furthermore, they should be encouraged to use professional databases such as the Cochrane Library (Mollon et al., 2012). Such developments emphasize the role of technology and online education in accessing the knowledge and skills needed in EBP. Nurses use theoretical assumptions in these articles in their everyday interactions within the care units to ensure the effectiveness of clinical care and facilitate rational decision-making and problem-solving.
Evidence-based practice is a necessity in the currently evolving healthcare sector. At-risk populations continue to report higher prevalence in specific diseases with affected populations experiencing chronic symptoms despite the nurses’ contribution to the management of such illnesses. The evidence-based practices facilitate the effective transfer of knowledge and skills acquired during formal training to clinical practice to help solve nursing problems and make rational decisions. Nurses also rely on evidence-based practice to make decisions that respect needs and expectations of the patients. Mollon et al. recognize the integral role evidence-based practice plays in improving treatment outcomes and effectiveness of nursing care. The future of nursing rests in the effective implementation of evidence-based practices and the integration of technology in hospitals to guide care delivery.
References
Mazurek, M. B., Susan, S., & Kathleen, W. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice: step by step: the seven steps of evidence-based practice. The American Journal of Nursing, 110(1), 51-53. doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000366056.06605.d2
Mollon, D., Fields, W., Gallo, A-M., Wagener, R., Soucy, J., Gustafson, B., & Kim, S.C. (2012). Staff practice, attitudes, and knowledge/skills regarding evidence-based practice before and after an educational intervention. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 43(9), 411-419. doi: 10.3928/00220124-20120716-89
What would be the price to adjust to rubric guidelines?