Using Project-Based Learning to Teach Advanced Practice Nurses About Quality Improvement

The universal challenge for clinicians worldwide is to provide safe and quality patient care that is based on the best available evidence. Despite current studies indicating that patients who receive evidence-based care have better outcomes, it is well documented that current care performed at the bedside is not based on the best current available evidence because of the delay from “bench to bedside.”¹  Clinical inquiry aims to improve patient safety and quality of care through methodical exploration of a clinically significant phenomenon. So why are advanced practice nurses (APNs) not routinely formulating clinical inquiries in their daily clinical practice?

Advanced practice nurses play a critical role in clinical inquiry, as we are able to identify local gaps in practice, processes, or systems that have the potential to negatively affect patient outcomes. Through curiosity about best available evidence, APNs can effectively guide clinical decision-making. Advanced practice nurses also have a...