What Are The Benefits of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing?

By Ngozi Oguejiofo, Nurses are responsib e for the care they provide to their patients! Evidence-based practice in nursing "eans "a#ing decisions about patient care on the basis of current best avai ab e evidence! $t he ps the nurse provide high-%ua ity care to her patients based on research and #no& edge! 1. Efficiency Evidence-based practice increases the efficiency of nurses! 'a#ing decisions based on #no& edge that is bac#ed by research "a#es it easier for a nurse to choose &hat care to provide to her patient as opposed to trying so"ething that "ay or "ay not be beneficia to her patient! This saves her ti"e( &hich she can devote to patients &ho need "ore intensive care fro" her! 2. Better Patient Outcome Nurses regu ar y "a#e decisions on &hat care to provide for their patients! These decisions can i"pact the patients) hea th negative y or positive y! The patient &i i#e y e*perience a better outco"e &hen the care is based on researched and proven "ethods! +! $t ,eeps Nursing Practice -urrent .or nurses to app y evidence-based practice in the care they provide( they have to stay infor"ed on any ne& discoveries that have been "ade! This encourages the" to read "ateria s that cover nursing research thus #eeping their practice current! 4. Decision Making /sing evidence-based practice to provide care to patients increases the nurse)s confidence! This is because she #no&s that she is basing her decisions about patient care on va id infor"ation that has been thorough y researched! 5. Magnet Status $ncorporating evidence-based practice into the nursing care at a hospita "ay he p the hospita achieve 'agnet status! The 'agnet 0ecognition Progra" recognizes %ua ity patient care( nursing e*ce ence and innovations in nursing practice! Being a "agnet faci ity( assures patients that they are getting e*ce ent nursing service! 0ead "ore1 What Are The Benefits of Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing? 2 e3o&!co" http144&&&!eho&!co"4about566678865benefits-evidencebased-practicenursing!ht" 9i*zz:;Ti.<,n: The increasing popu arity of evidence-based practice =EBP> re%uires that nurses ta#e a stand regarding this type of practice! This positioning rests on #no& edge of EBP( ho&ever this notion varies by discip ine and "any definitions e*ist even &ithin the nursing discip ine! An i"proved understanding of the basic tenets of this type of practice is thus essentia ! This first( of a series of t&o artic es describes the origin of EBP as &e as various definitions( it a so presents the "ajor criticis"s raised and ta#es a oo# at the i"pact of the increased tendency to&ards EBP on professiona practice!