Nurses are the largest segment of the nation’s health care workforce, which makes nurses vital to the translation of evidence-based practice as a practice norm. Critical care nurses are in a position to critically appraise and apply best evidence in daily practice to improve patients’ outcomes. It is important for critical care nurses to continually evaluate their current practice to ensure that they are applying the current best evidence rather than practicing on the basis of tradition. This article is based on a presentation at the 2013 National Teaching Institute of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Four practice interventions that are within the realm of nursing are critiqued on the basis of current best evidence: (1) turning critically ill patients, (2) sleep promotion in the intensive care unit, (3) feeding tube management in infants and children, and (4) prevention of venothromboembolism…again. The related beliefs, current evidence, and implications for practice associated with each topic are described.
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1 April 2014
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April 01 2014
Examining the Evidence to Guide Practice: Challenging Practice Habits
Mary Beth Flynn Makic, RN, PhD, CNS, CCNS;
Mary Beth Flynn Makic is a research nurse scientist in critical care at University of Colorado Hospital and an associate professor at the University of Colorado, College of Nursing, Aurora.
Corresponding author: Mary Beth Flynn Makic, rn, phd, cns, ccns, 12401 E 17th Ave, Leprino Building, Mail Stop 901, Aurora, CO 80045 (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Carol Rauen, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, PCCN, CEN, RN-BC;
Carol Rauen, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, PCCN, CEN, RN-BC
Carol Rauen is an independent clinical nurse specialist and education consultant in The Outer Banks of North Carolina.
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Robin Watson, RN, MN, CCRN, CNS;
Robin Watson, RN, MN, CCRN, CNS
Robin Watson is a clinical nurse specialist at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
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Ann Will Poteet, RN, MS, CCNS
Ann Will Poteet, RN, MS, CCNS
Ann Will Poteet is a critical care clinical nurse specialist and a graduate clinical placement coordinator at the University of Colorado, College of Nursing in Aurora.
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Crit Care Nurse (2014) 34 (2): 28–45.
Citation
Mary Beth Flynn Makic, Carol Rauen, Robin Watson, Ann Will Poteet; Examining the Evidence to Guide Practice: Challenging Practice Habits. Crit Care Nurse 1 April 2014; 34 (2): 28–45. doi: https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2014262
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