Research Guides: Nursing: Evidence Based Research

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What is evidence-based nursing?

Definition: Nursing practice that bases clinical decisions on research, clinical expertise, patient choices, and critical evaluation of the (journal) literature. (CINAHL)

Evidence Based Nursing - UNC Health Sciences Library
What is EBP? Florida Gulf Coast University
Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice tutorial
Self-paced tutorial providing an introduction to the principles of Evidence Based Practice.

What are the levels of evidence?

Evidence-Based Practice in the Health Sciences: Evidence-Based Nursing Tutorial. Information Services Department of the Library of the Health Sciences-Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago.

What is PICO and why would I use it?

If you choose:

Too Narrow a Topic
Will give you few articles or web pages.

Too Broad a Topic
Will give you too many articles or web pages to sift through. But, a broad search of the literature may actually help you narrow your search - it'll give you ideas on different aspects of your research question.

Putting what you're interested in into the PICO format might help you with your research question.

P - Population - as in what population will you be studying. children, adults, teens...?
I - Intervention - as in a drug therapy or treatment.
C - Comparison - as in comparing the intervention with a different drug therapy, treatment, etc.
O - Outcome - as in did the intervention provide relief?

For Example:

You're interested in finding some articles/web pages on diabetes as it relates to obesity.

Maybe you're really interested in diabetes in obese children ages 6-12.
And, maybe you're interested in how to treat diabetes in obese children - diet, medication, or weight loss...
In children, is the diabetes eliminated once the child is no longer obese? Or does the child continue to have diabetes?

Play around with your topic and research question until it fits what you're looking for.

How do I find systematic reviews not available in a library database?

Bernard Becker Medical Library's Guide to Systematic Reviews
Resources to Support Work in Systematic Reviews
Systematic Review Data Repository
The Systematic Review Data Repository (SRDR) from AHRQ is a powerful tool for the extraction and management of data for systematic review or meta-analysis. It is an open and searchable archive of systematic reviews and their data.

What resources are available to help me implement evidence-based nursing practice?

MedTEAM [kit] : evidence-based practices kit by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services
Call Number: HE 20.427:M 46/2/KIT
Publication Date: 2010
MedTEAM is based on expert consensus that asserts that medication management decisions that integrate treatment guidelines, clinical expertise, and consumer experience lead to improved consumer outcomes. The MedTEAM kit gives public mental health authorities an opportunity to improve clinical services for adults with serious mental illnesses by providing information and guidance for implementing evidence-based practice in a comprehensive format

AHRQ Effective Health Care Program
The AHRQ Effective Health Care Program reviews and synthesizes published and unpublished scientific evidence, generating new scientific evidence and analytic tools, compiling research findings that are synthesized and/or generated and translates them into useful formats for various audiences.
American Nurses Association Research Toolkit
ANA has developed a Research Toolkit to help you provide evidence-based care that promotes quality health outcomes for individuals, families, communities and health care systems. The Toolkit can also assist you in shaping health policy at the bedside, within an organization, and at the local, state and national level. The toolkit offers an introduction to research and evidence-based practice and provides access to resources to translate evidence into practice and to support nurse researchers.
Guide to Community Preventive Services
The Guide to Community Preventive Services is a free resource to help you choose programs and policies to improve health and prevent disease in your community.
Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement
The Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) is an independent, non-profit health care improvement organization that unites clinicians, health plans, employers, policymakers and consumers to improve health, optimize the patient experience and make health care more affordable.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
The MMWR Recommendations and Reports contain in-depth articles that relay policy statements for prevention and treatment on all areas in CDC's scope of responsibility (e.g., recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices).
National Guideline Clearinghouse
NGC is a public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
NICE: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
NICE's role is to improve outcomes for people using the NHS and other public health and social care services. NICE
produces evidence-based guidance and develops quality standards for health, public health and social care practitioners.
Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Best Practices Guidelines
RNAO is recognized by the Health Council of Canada as being on the leading edge, creating best practice guidelines for nurses.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
The USPSTF was convened by the Public Health Service to rigorously evaluate clinical research in order to assess the merits of preventive measures, including screening tests, counseling, immunizations, and preventive medications. This list includes all recommendations: active, inactive, and in progress.

Nursing: Evidence Based Research

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