Strategies to Achieve Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

In the nursing profession, change is a constant. Treatments, diagnostic tests, procedures, and the population served in a given geographic area are always in flux. Changes in nursing practice are prompted by the emergence of new scientific evidence supporting them. Thus, nursing is a career that requires lifelong learning.¹  Registered nurses (RNs) need access to the scientific literature to enable their practice to stay current. The use of relevant literature and reliable evidence to support clinical decisions is known as evidence-based practice (EBP).²  Evidence-based practice is associated with improved care quality and patient outcomes, enhanced patient safety, and reduced health care costs.³ 

Failure to incorporate the best available evidence into routine nursing care has economic, legal, and ethical consequences. For example, an RN’s lack of awareness of the optimal strategies to prevent a catheter-associated urinary tract infection can lead to additional preventable costs of more than $48...