Advancing Evidence-Based Nursing Through University-Agency Collaboration

Sally A. Decker, PhD, RN, Nursing, Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI, USA, Elizabeth Roe, RN, MS, Crystal M. Lange College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI, USA, Suzanne Savoy, RN, MN, Crystal M Lange College of Nursing and Health Sciences, SVSU, University Center, MI, USA, and Mary Whyte-Marshall, RN, MSN, Staff Development, Bay Medical Center, Bay City, MI, USA.

Nursing students from Saginaw Valley State University and nurses from both Covenant Health Care and Bay Regional Medical Care have collaborated on a project to advance evidence-based nursing. The collaborative project uses the Stetler Model of Research Utilization and an evidence-based practice approach. The project includes the following steps: 1) nurses in the agencies identify practice interventions/issues they would like summarized in an evidence-based presentation, 2) students select and evaluate sources of evidence related to the intervention using an evidence rating system and then summarize the results and make recommendations including the strength of evidence, and 3) the agency nurses add input on fit of the setting, feasibility, and current practice. Collaborative efforts create situations where both parties benefit from the joint effort. This project has the advantage of helping students see the relevance of evidence to practice and help them communicate with the agencies. This project has the advantage of helping agency nurses keep informed on the research literature related to their interventions and help them develop mentoring skills with the students. The project also has the advantage and increasing the communication of the university and community through the process of identification of topics and the formal presentation of findings. Examples of topics have ranged from use of massage therapy and back injury prevention exercises to tight glucose control and prevention of ventilator acquired pneumonia. Agency use of the evidence is found in changes in agency policy, attendance at the student presentations, and use of the resource books with evidence rating and original articles given to the agencies by the students.

Learning Objective #1: describe the steps of a collaborative evidence-based nursing project.
Learning Objective #2: identify advantages of the project for both the University and the Agency.