Nursing practice needs to be based on sound research findings. Nurses are responsible for conducting research in their practice area to add to the profession and improve client outcomes.
The purpose of the Evidence-Based Practice Paper is to give the student the experience of identifying a practice issue and reviewing current research in the area to determine if research supports current practice or if practice needs to be changed.
Research teams will be developed, with 3-4 members in each team. The team will be given a topic related to nursing, such as a clinical practice problem, procedure or customary practice, or it may be related to quality care issues, staffing scheduling or motivating staff, etc.
A minimum of two (2) research articles per team member on the topic selected will be chosen by the team. Articles should be from publications printed within the last 5 years, and must come from professional nursing journals. A list of nursing journals is provided at the beginning of the syllabus.
Using the literature review as a foundation, the Research Team will develop a research project. The project will include the following components:
1. Purpose and background of the problem to be studied
2. Problem statement
3. PICO question
4. Review of literature
a. Compare and contrast the findings of the various studies reviewed
b. Synthesize the literature
5. Practice Innovation plan
a. Research design
b. Target population
c. Selection of sample
d. Setting
e. Ethical considerations
f. Measurement tools
g. Data collection
h. Appropriate statistics
6. Reflection on learning experience
The research teams will meet early in the semester and are expected to work on the paper throughout the semester.
This is to be a cohesive paper. The first activity will be to develop a time line, to help with time management and guide the paper.
All members of the team are expected to give equal input into the process. Even though members will have different interests and abilities, everyone is to find a way to contribute.
The level of the members' involvement will be considered in the final grade for the project.