Evidence-based practice has gained momentum in nursing, and definitions vary widely. Research findings, knowledge from basic science, clinical knowledge, and expert opinion are all considered “evidence”; however, practices based on research findings are more likely to result in the desired patient outcomes across various settings and geographic locations. The impetus for evidence-based practice comes from payor and healthcare facility pressures for cost containment, greater availability of information, and greater consumer savvy about treatment and care options. Evidence-based practice demands changes in education of students, more practice-relevant research, and closer working relationships between clinicians and researchers. Evidence-based practice also provides opportunities for nursing care to be more individualized, more effective, streamlined, and dynamic, and to maximize effects of clinical judgment. When evidence is used to define best practices rather than to support existing practices, nursing care keeps pace with the latest technological advances and takes advantage of new knowledge developments.
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1 November 2001
Evidence-based Practice|
November 01 2001
Evidence-based Nursing Practice: Why Is It Important?
JoAnne M. Youngblut, PhD, RN, FAAN;
From the School of Nursing, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida.
Reprint requests to JoAnne M. Youngblut, PhD, RN, FAAN, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st St., AC II Room 234A, North Miami, FL 33181 (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Dorothy Brooten, PhD, RN, FAAN
Dorothy Brooten, PhD, RN, FAAN
From the School of Nursing, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida.
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AACN Adv Crit Care (2001) 12 (4): 468–476.
Citation
JoAnne M. Youngblut, Dorothy Brooten; Evidence-based Nursing Practice: Why Is It Important?. AACN Adv Crit Care 1 November 2001; 12 (4): 468–476. doi:
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