Evaluating Your EBP
Evidence-based care remains an integral component of nursing practice. Nurses must be in a position to evaluate their practices during a specified period to determine effectiveness. In their evaluations, they deal with both independent and independent variables. An independent variable is one that the nurse can manipulate; in this case, it can be the patient’s lifestyle and choice of medical facility. On the contrary, dependent variables refer to patient responses that the nurse can measure or quantify (Royse, Thyer & Padgett, 2015).
The nurse can be able to determine the severity of the side effects of a certain drug just by observation techniques and other advanced methods and by use of medical equipment. In this situation, the nurse can be able to use statistical significance to establish whether there is a probability of altering the dose to eliminate side effects. In as much as statistical significance may indicate a relationship between the variables, there is no surety that indeed one event led to the next (LoBiondo-Wood, Haber, Berry & Yost, 2013). Research has found the Transitional Care Model and the Project BOOST as being the best discharge interventions for geriatric patients. In these models, patient variables (both independent and dependent) can be observed carefully by the transitional nurse, who then intervenes appropriately. Transition care models need to be manipulated to fit the environment that the geriatric patient is situated. The model is best utilized in while they are discharged into their home environments, and not when they are admitted.
The value of evaluation in the practice of any nurse is significant. One can identify gaps that may be occurring in their practice and so will be motivated to perform much better. Not all best practices lead to better patient outcomes; necessitating the need for frequent and thorough evaluations. The caregiver can evaluate all models of care for better patient outcomes (Tourangeau, Giovannetti, Tu & Wood, 2016).
References
LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Berry, C., & Yost, J. (2013). Study Guide for Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-based Practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. https://www.elsevier.com/books/study-guide-for-nursing-research/lobiondo-wood/978-0-323-44761-4?start_rank=1901&sortby=sortByDateDesc
Royse, D., Thyer, B. A., & Padgett, D. K. (2015). Program evaluation: An introduction to an evidence-based approach. Cengage Learning. https://cengage.com.au/product/title/program-evaluation-an-introduction-to-an-evid/isbn/9781305101968
Tourangeau, A. E., Giovannetti, P., Tu, J. V., & Wood, M. (2016). Nursing-related determinants of 30-day mortality for hospitalized patients. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research Archive, 33(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11998198
