evidence based nursing assignment help in darwin

evidence based nursing assignment help in darwin

Evidence-based Nursing Practices in Darwin

1. Introduction to Evidence-based Nursing

Over the past decades, evidence-based nursing has become a well-established method to ensuring that practice is knowledge and evidence driven, and not just opinions or rituals that have been passed down over the years. In order for the EBN movement to continue, new and experienced nurses need to develop the required skills and knowledge in this area. Throughout this essay, “Evidence based practice” will be referred to as “EBN” and rational to why EBN is essential. The most commonly used system to define ‘evidence-based’ is that of Sackett (1997). Sackett used this definition to describe EBM: “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” (Sackett, 1997). In this document, Sackett explains that the process of evidence-based practice involves: framing the question, finding information, critically appraising information and applying the evidence and evaluating the outcome. This complex and dynamic process needs to be accessible to all health care professionals in any environment; thus, developing the required skills is fundamental. The evolution and convergence of various modern technologies in the healthcare sector has given rise to what has been termed ‘The Information Revolution’. This revolution has increased the quality, quantity and the range of information available helping practice to move forward. Such trends were praised in a recent report by the Government’s Chief Medical Officer (Government Office of the Chief Medical Officer, 2005). The report outlines the next steps for the NHS in taking new knowledge and ensuring that it is delivered fairly and effectively. It supports the idea that delivering new knowledge is the main driving force to modernising NHS today – encouraging the promotion of research and integrating it into practice. EBN is essential to facilitate the provision of the most effective and highest standard of care. Modern healthcare strategies often call for a standardisation of practice, moving along the lines of developing ‘care pathways’ and ‘practice guidelines’. Such moves, however, need to be treated with caution as this may be to the detriment of nursing’s holistic and individualised approach to patients. There has been established that there was a need for a new approach to health care findings that have proved that there are vast differences between what people should be treated with and what sort of treatment they receive. Such findings have been the driving force behind strategies from Department of Health trying to implement the NHS Plan, The Service Framework and Information for Health. These strategies all have the central theme of evidence-based practice. However, some of the greatest foreseeable barriers to EBN are time and resources for which, the full benefits and ideals of evidence-based practice might not be fully realised until these are overcome. This essay will aim to try and give an insight into the development of EBN, the barriers to its development in practice and how it can be developed. What more, the rationale for both new and experienced nurses to develop the required skills and knowledge and the strategies that they can use. I intend to develop the understanding of the rationale for using critical literature that have provided and the formulation of a research question that will guide the search for the literature, in the production of this essay. This may indicate that there are fewer steps in deciding the search and the analysis of material that might highlight reductionist or confirmatory views of the literature. Also, the premise of the essay was to understand what drives the need for evidence-based practice also. I hope that the production of the essay generates self-development and the discovery of critical views and knowledge that can be emboldened with the sharing of such findings in the clinical environment.

2. Importance of Evidence-based Nursing in Darwin

Another appeal for nurses and health care organizations to embrace evidence-based practice in rural and remote areas like Darwin stems from the extreme shortages in regional and remote health care workers and the unique health vulnerabilities faced by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations. These populations have an elevated risk of chronic diseases and a life expectancy of up to 12 years less than non-Indigenous Australians. They are also much more likely to have multiple serious conditions, and due to a range of socio-economic factors, have higher rates of avoidable admissions for conditions such as diabetes and chronic cardiac and circulatory problems. The further application of evidence-based practice principles, including the tailoring of care to the specific needs and aspirations of people within their local and regional communities, offers another line of amelioration. Such approaches are also supported by person-centered models of care that promote individuals’ control and choice when considering treatment or care options. These methods and ways of thinking, which are reflective of a broader push towards more holistic and patient-informed health care, offer fruitful areas of research and development. On the one hand, researchers can look to better codify and define what the translation of evidence-based practices to regional and remote settings should look like in terms of method, outcome, and evaluation. On the other hand, the figuration of a network of policies, programs, and practices that genuinely aspire to patient-centered outcomes, built on the college and social trust qualities seen to be embodied in evidence-based practice, can commence in earnest when applied to regions with specific health care challenges, such as Adelaide.

3. Implementing Evidence-based Practices in Nursing

The challenges of change require a clear plan of implementation, which involves commitment and attention to nursing resilience. Initially, the project needs to be modified in the nursing course. The research bias that is held by lecturers, which can be perceived in the way information is delivered to students, needs to be reduced. A suitable syllabus needs to be developed to ensure that nursing students are exposed to the different methodologies available, so that rational decisions can be made when evaluating evidence. At the same time, integrative courses, where the goals are to promote teaching of the type of changes that bring forth improvement within the healthcare system through evidence-based practices, need to be introduced. Such an incorporation will set the vein to changes and place more value on the selected process rather than the usual traditional approach. Also, clinical facilitators should be encouraged to be more flexible in the teaching style and to ensure that the evidence-based practices program that is carried out in the clinical practices is implemented without any practical hiccups. It is also crucial that all nursing programs should be reviewed and clearly define the curriculum with detailed instruction, so that students understand the requirements for qualifying as a professional nurse. Through close monitoring of the implementation, it will challenge nursing personnel to change and to be more responsive to patients’ needs and well-being.

4. Challenges and Solutions in Evidence-based Nursing

One of the main challenges for nurses attempting to practice evidence-based nursing is the design of the healthcare system itself. As McSherry et al. (2002) noted, many healthcare organizations are “complex, fragmented and adaptive, characterized by continual disputes.” This means that the measures which have been proven to work in randomized control trials may not be suitable on the ground – even before taking into account the patient’s views and wishes. It may be very frustrating for nurses to know the right thing to do to give evidence-based patient care, but find themselves impeded by barriers in the system. One aspect of the design of many healthcare systems that can hinder evidence-based nursing is the use of “financial and political drivers” to set the objectives and policies for healthcare provision, rather than professional judgments. For instance, the need to meet targets and provide care within strict budgets can discourage innovation and obstruct the introduction of successful nursing measures that may require investment in staff training or new equipment. In the short time, there are administrative issues such as “a lack of structured abstracting from patient records”, which can make it difficult to generate the data that is needed to support evidence-based practice (Stephens and Ashcroft, 2001). Also, the fact that healthcare is supposed to be provided throughout the week means that there are no built-in times when it is convenient to try and introduce change. This in turn may exacerbate the problem discussed earlier – that there is a risk to the nurse’s sense of professional autonomy when implementing evidence-based practice, because it may involve disruption to established case management routines and the delegation of more junior staff. Only by recognizing these barriers and obstacles to the delivery of evidence-based practice and by learning how to tackle them can the aspiring clinical nurse hope to execute their tasks effectively and challenge the existing status quo in the workplace when necessary.

5. Conclusion and Future Directions

Also, from the survey data and observations made by the research team, there may be a need for a change in leadership approach toward a more open and flexible strategy in nursing. The Human Resources and Services Administration, which is an agency and division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, administers federal grants to support access to healthcare in areas that are underserved, economically or medically. By adopting evidence-based practices, nurses and healthcare providers in an underserved area like Darwin can use real-time clinical information for remotely located patients to improve patient care. Also, the effectiveness of every healthcare dollar spent can be maximized by decreasing redundant or inappropriate clinical interventions. This will ensure sound fiscal management and sustainability of high-quality care in these underserved areas. Last but not least, both the workforce and patients will benefit from this process. From a career perspective, working in an evidence-based practice environment will provide nurses with a positive working experience and well-being. Also, nurses can keep abreast of the latest knowledge in treatment options. The use of technology in practice will also be an attractive aspect in the workplace for a modern and legacy of learning working environment because the nursing involvement in the handling of disease and improvement of health outcomes will be enhanced. On the other hand, it will give a more efficient and effective treatment for patients. Evidence shows that patients had received better health outcomes and health service provided through health information technology. For example, the use of electronic health records, a digital version of a patient’s paper chart, the health information is real-time. This will make the patient’s information available instantly and securely to authorized users. Also, it will help to create a more streamlined work process for nurses. With nursing information systems such as electronic health records and computerized physician order entry systems, more comprehensive care can be provided via prompt diagnosis and health service planning for patients. Last but not least, with the usage of technology, patient data will be securely stored and redundancies or repetitions in patient treatment history can be eliminated. This, in turn, based on this interdisciplinary empirical research, it is suffice to say that the future development and support of evidence-based nursing in such technologically sophisticated environments will be a priority and essential.

The future directions for evidence-based nursing in Darwin involve the integration of technological advances in healthcare. It is expected that the usage of health information technology will increasingly become an important aspect in nursing practice. According to results and conclusions from previous research, the adoption of technology and technology-based processes will provide an array of benefits in nursing. This includes “increased patient safety, more efficient and effective treatment, and better health outcomes for patients.” It has been suggested that the use of wearable health technology is a common trend related to health information technology. Nurses may need to go through a series of training and achieve certain knowledge before they are well prepared to work in an innovative working environment as what is expected in an evidence-based practice environment.