Evidence-Based Practice in Pediatric Critical Care Nursing

In the mid-1900s, British epidemiologist Dr Archie Cochrane noticed that thousands of premature infants were dying despite the availability of a proven treatment. Multiple randomized controlled trials supported the use of corticosteroid therapy during premature labor in high-risk patients, but this therapy was not routinely given to those high-risk patients. Dr Cochrane conducted a systematic review of the literature, concluding that corticosteroid therapy reduced the rate of premature infant death from 50% to 30%.¹  He shared these findings and encouraged clinicians to align their practice with this evidence. Dr Cochrane worked across multiple clinical areas to encourage the practice of medicine based on evidence, and he is widely regarded as the founder of evidence-based practice (EBP).¹ 

The benefits of EBP appear obvious when studying objective findings, as in Dr Cochrane’s story, but understanding the benefits is only part of implementing EBP. There is a notable dearth of EBP...