Finding the Evidence

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), nursing interventions should be practical, methodical decisions based on EBP research studies. EBP helps nurses determine an effective course of action for care delivery. It combines best practices from the latest medical literature with clinical experience and the values and preferences of the patients under treatment. This problem-solving approach to clinical practice encourages nurses to provide individualized patient care.

The steps involved in EBP research include:

1. Formulating a clinical question to identify a problem
2. Searching the literature for research that provides evidence regarding the clinical problem
3. Evaluating the scientific merit of the research based on established criteria
4. Implementing clinical decisions based on the evidence found
5. Assessing the result

To find the best practices from the latest medical literature you will need to search the library nursing and medical literature databases for the best available evidence on your topic. Databases such as CINAHL, PubMed, Medline with Full Text, and Cochrane Library are good places to start. For more information, see Finding EBP Articles in the Databases.

                                                                                                                                         Image source: UC Davis Library

Black, A. T., Balneaves, L. G., Garossino, C., Puyat, J. H., & Qian, H. (2015). Promoting evidence-based practice through a research training program for point-of-care  clinicians. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 45(1), 14–20.

Chrisman, J., Jordan, R., Davis, C., & Williams, W. (2014). Exploring evidence-based practice research. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy, 12(4), 8–  12.