Describe the importance of this question to your clinical practice previously, currently, or in the future.

Describe the importance of this question to your clinical practice previously, currently, or in the future.

By addressing what can be done to educate the patients on the importance of following up with their primary physician and/or the referred specialist and following thru on their prescribed medical plan, we would reduce the number of repeat ER visits by repeat patients with the same or worsened conditions.

While education plays a great role, the capabilities of the patient must also be taken into consideration. As ER discharging nurses, we seldom pay attention to the patient’s self-care capabilities or care-giver’s capabilities as well as to the socio-economic factors. This can be an issue that can be easily addressed in the future.

Describe what a research-practice gap is.

A gap is the difference between the practices and results currently in use versus the practices and results which could be attained if using the information revealed by new research. The gaps are related to the fact that it is difficult to translate the research into practice and to make the necessary changes to improve existing practices (Leach & Tucker, 2017).

References

Aromataris, E., & Pearson, A. (2014). The Systematic Review. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 114(3), 47. doi:10.1097/01.naj.0000444496.24228.2c

Leach, M. J., & Tucker, B. (2017). Original research article: Current understandings of the research-practice gap in nursing: A mixed-methods study. Collegian, doi:10.1016/j.colegn.2017.04.008

Leppin, A. L., Gionfriddo, M. R., Kessler, M., Brito, J. P., Mair, F. S., Gallacher, K., & … Montori, V. M. (2014). Preventing 30-day hospital readmissions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(7), 1095-1107. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.1608