NURS 8502 Discussion: Exploration of Sources of Evidence Discussion: Exploration of Sources of Evidence

NURS 8502 Discussion: Exploration of Sources of Evidence Discussion: Exploration of Sources of Evidence

In nursing practice, the provision of healthcare is based on evidence-based practice. By description, evidence-based practice (EBP) is a problem-solving strategy to deliver health care that incorporates the best evidence from studies and patient care data. Applying evidence-based practice (EBP) also considers the clinician’s expertise, patient preferences, and values.   In my practice problem identified in the week one discussion, I have pointed out that pressure ulcers among those in assisted living facility workshops are a problem. The data indicates that over 3 million adults worldwide are affected by pressure ulcers (Guzman, McClanahan & Vaughn, 2018). There are various interventions have been proposed to help curb pressure ulcers. However, there is still a gap to support for the implementation of the proposed interventions. Consequently, the proposed solutions still need to be backed up by the sources of pieces of evidence. In this discussion, I will explore multiple sources of evidence for the above practice problem.

Sources of Evidence

To support the evidence of interventions to reduce pressure ulcers, I would employ several sources of evidence to support the practice. The first source I would use is peer-reviewed journal articles. Peer-reviewed journal articles are scholarly sources written by experts in a particular field and by several other experts before the article is published in the journal, thus ensuring the article’s quality (Neilson, 2021). The second source I would consider for the identified practice problem is journals that contain articles written by professionals and academics. Examples of such journals include the American Journal of Critical Care, the American Journal of Public Health, and the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing.

The third source I would use is scientific and reputable databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, and Clinical Key. These databases provide indexing for consumer health, nursing, allied health, and biomedical journals. These databases also include standards of practice that would support the practice problem identified. The fourth source of evidence I would include is the organizations that produce practice guidelines. Example of these organizations is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American College of Physicians are made up of several institutes that conduct and support medical research and thus, guarantee the quality of the evidence (Jones, Brennan & Davis, 2020).

The Impact of not Including Resources

Failure to include evidence from scholarly articles means that the evidence is less likely to be scientifically valid in terms of providing reasonable conclusions. Databases such as PubMed provide supportive resources, including biomedical and life sciences literature, with the key objective of improving health–both globally and personally. These databased provide huge,  up to date, reliable and authoritative resources, and thus, failure to include resources  would mean insufficient evidence to support the practice problem (Hickey & Giardino, 2021)

Overall, deciding which sources of evidence to use for a practice problem depends on various factors. These factors include accessibility of the resource, search, and time available. However, it is important to use reliable sources (Hickey & Giardino, 2021). Such sources are not limited to selected websites and databases, peer-reviewed journal articles, and organizations that publish guidelines.