Evidence-based practice helps me as a nurse to use appraised scientifically proven evidence in order to deliver quality health care to the population I work with every day.

However, many times due to heavy workload, we cannot keep up to date with new evidence. This is not only because of lack of time, but because the inability to understand statistical terms, and inadequate understanding of the words used in research articles. This was practically the reason I decided to return back to school for further education.

Furthermore, Guyatt et all., (2000) report that in order to effectively apply the EBP process, in addition to the basic skills required to undertake nursing work, a nurse must be able to: "identify knowledge gaps, formulate relevant questions, conduct an efficient literature search, apply rules of evidence to determine the validity of studies, apply the literature findings appropriately to the patient's problem, and appropriately involve the patient in the clinical decision making."

In health care a lot of money are spent on quality and sophisticated research. It seems like every week new medical devices, and procedures are invented just to help us nurses provide the best care and treatment to our patients.

However, it is an expectation for us nurses to come prepared with the best education so we could deliver the best patient care. Therefore, in our hospital we have frequent mandatory education classes, CE direct research articles we have to read, mock codes and skills testing.

For example, last night the stroke educator was on the unit to inform us about new research relating to TPA use for stroke patients who recently had cardiac catheterization.

Additionally, she provided new research about early NIH and advanced neurological assessments for all patients who have a reason to have a CT of the head. The education lasted 30 minutes before our shift started.

During one year, we admit to the floor hundreds of patients with TIA's. Because patients are left without any neurological deficits, they take the information we give to them lightly.

As a nurse, I know that half of them will return soon with a major stroke, and to prevent this I have to be equipped with the best information out there.

I start by teaching my patients about disease process, but the most important is to teach them how to manage their disease and help them understand that TIA's are just a signal that a stroke will occur if their lifestyle does not change.

In order to do that, we must know if the information we use is backed up by the latest research and that the foundation of the patient care is continuously retested.