The Institute of Medicine has stated a goal that 90% of practice be evidence-based by 2020. According to HealthyPeople.gov, the United States is currently at approximately 15%. Discuss two barriers that might hold nursing practice from achieving this goal and suggest ways in which identified barriers may be addressed.
Sample Answer
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is incorporating the results and recommendations of scientific studies into clinical practice. It always starts with a clinical question about a certain phenomenon in health care which then proceeds into a scientific inquiry to ascertain the evidence critically. The appraised evidence is then incorporated into patient care through professional and expert recommendations from the scientific findings. Therefore, before evidence is introduced into clinical practice, it undergoes thorough scrutiny to ascertain its benefit in the enhanced provision of high-quality and appropriate care (Ginex, 2019). Barriers that Hold Nursing Practice
Achieving the level of incorporating the evidence into clinical practice requires the researcher and practitioners to overcome various barriers. According to the institute of medicine, the current level of EVB in the US is at 15%, despite having a target of 90% by the year 2020. The time and knowledge required to implement evidence-based practice are compromising factors. Many clinicians indicate that they need more time and more knowledge to critique the evidence brought forward. In addition, the necessity of reviewing the literature to find out how other authors or other health facilities implement the evidence also needs to take time. In this regard, it would require consistent practitioners who link with the researcher from the inception to the methodology and its analysis. This way, they would have their knowledge grow regarding the clinical phenomenon under study (Ginex, 2019). Barriers that Hold Nursing Practice
Another barrier to implementing evidence-based practice is facing resistance from clinical practitioners. Perhaps, they may have been practicing a certain way of offering care to their clients and would not be ready to change in line with the new recommendation. Most of them would participate in critiquing the new EBP rather than following its recommendation and evaluating its effectiveness. It would require the collaboration of the stakeholders at the individual and organizational levels for better implementation. Lack of support from the organization and lack of goodwill by the individuals would widen the barrier to implementing EVP (Ginex, 2019).
Overcoming the barriers would include proper involvement of the stakeholders in developing the evidence-based practice. It develops trust in the stakeholders and also gives them a chance to provide inputs to the process and therefore foresees the outcome of implementing the evidence. Support from the administration would help build a culture change in the organization because the change in how things are done in the healthcare facility means behavior change (Ginex, 2019).
Many hurdles plague the nursing profession regarding barriers to implementation of evidence based practice. Common barriers include uncertainty of how to use evidence in research findings, time mismanagement, lack of motivation, and the lack of resources (Dagne & Beshah, 2021). Nurses report having limited time to find research that would improve their current practice in their specialty (Alatami et al, 2020). Training and education are necessary to improve skills and advance the nursing profession, which may be limited to the initial first year of the new graduate onboarding experience to a facility. Gaps of knowledge can also be identified when the nurse exits their nursing school and enter the nursing field as a licensed RN. Furthering education for nurses can also improve the nurses ability to make informed decisions and improve confidence. Resources should be readily available while also facilitating further education by promoting in-services by the facility (Alatawi et al, 2020). Organizing sources of evidence and research for staff nurses could enhance clinical expertise while steadily becoming regular daily practice. Providing staff with information in the form of webinars, in-person seminars, simulations, and organization information for nurses to read evidence based research through work emails which funnels information to staff could improve usage of research. Influencing patient care also requires the hospital to recognize barriers that their specific location may have. Barriers that Hold Nursing Practice