NR 500 Week 5 Evidence-Based Practice
NR 500 Week 5 Evidence-Based Practice
Evidenced-based practice (EBP) combines evidenced-based research, values of the patient and expertise of the clinician to provide the best care and most beneficial outcomes to patients. EBP is implemented into nursing care daily and is an expected intervention provided by today’s nurses. Our lesson states that the profession of nursing has evolved, and the expectation is that the professional nurse has a scientific foundation to support the care that is provided (CCN, 2018). My specialty track is family nurse practitioner. I chose family nurse practitioner to be able to help and provide care for people that are sick or in need of health prevention and promotion. Family nurse practitioners are able to see patients of all ages. The diversity of patient population is also something that interested me and helped with my decision of choosing the family nurse practitioner route. Each patient you see is different and I love being able to communicate with patients and family members to identify their healthcare needs as well as incorporate their beliefs into their healthcare plan. Family nurse practitioners are involved in many facets of healthcare such as treating healthcare issues, promoting healthcare by prevention and preventing healthcare issues. An area of interest that I have been interested in/passionate about is vaccinations for adults and children. Family nurse practitioners are in a unique position to educate and teach patients/family members about vaccinations and their importance. They can also educate patients who shouldn’t take the vaccinations and why such as contraindications. The family nurse practitioner is in a leadership position to give a unbiased approach to patients about vaccinations and listen to their beliefs. A systemic review was done that reviewed evidence of the effectiveness of standing order protocols for adult vaccinations coverage rates. It was found in the study that implementation of standing orders programs alone or combined with other effective interventions can help improve vaccination coverage by institutional providers (“Use of Standing Order”, 2000). Family nurse practitioners can help implement this evidence-based practice in institutions to increase the number of vaccinations received by patients.
Chamberlain College of Nursing. (2018). NR-500 Week 5: Scholarship and Evidence-Based Practice: A Process for Change. [Online lesson]. Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group.
Use of Standing Orders Programs to Increase Adult Vaccination Rates: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. (2000). MMWR: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 49(11), 21-26.
Huddles have become a popular concept in healthcare settings today. The concept actually comes from football, where the team members come together for about 25 seconds before a game to discuss strategy and execution of their plays. Similarly, a pre-shift or pre-procedure huddle can be an effective way to gather the healthcare team together to discuss safety concerns, staffing plans for the shift, and the promotion of education geared towards improving patient safety and care. Criscitelli (2015) considers huddles as a micro meeting that has structure and focuses upon communication and safe patient care.
In the perioperative environment, the Joint Commission has reported that poor communication is the cause of over two-thirds adverse events (Criscitelli, 2015). I found that report quite humbling. For huddles to be effective, they should be mandatory, have an agenda and time limit, be consistent at the same times every day, and display a recognizable structure to all who participate (Criscitelli, 2015). In my department, our team of nurses and surgical techs huddle 5 minutes before every shift to address safety concerns, plans for the shift, staffing assignments, and sometimes a brief in-service is provided by our nurse educator. Typically, huddles are led by charge nurses or nurse managers. Huddles can improve communication and workflow and are more effective when they are interdisciplinary. Pre-procedure huddles have actually been shown to reduce errors and unintended events (Criscitelli, 2015). In regards to surgical site infections, huddling can improve patient outcomes by increasing timely prophylactic antibiotic administration (Criscitelli, 2015). Huddling helps perioperative team members address the surgical safety checklist, keeping the patients safe care as a forerunner in the plan for the day.
Safety huddles can reflect the nursing profession’s commitment to improving safe care and thus supports evidence-based practice. It is a very simple concept that carries great benefits by bringing team members together and can inevitably reduce patient harm (Foster, 2017). As a nurse educator, I plan to foster the concept of huddles in the classroom and clinical setting.
Criscitelli, T. (2015). Fostering a culture of safety: The OR huddle. AORN Journal, 102(6), 656-659. doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2015.10.002
Foster, S. (2017). Implementing safety huddles. British Journal of Medicine, 26(16), 953. doi:10.1298.bjon.2017.26.16.953
