Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Online Multidisciplinary Research and Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Collaboration and Quality Patient Care
Zenaida S. Spangler, PhD, RN, Nursing, Excelsior College, Albany, NY, USA, Debra A. Jeffs, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, Excelsior College, Albany, NY, USA, and Deborah Rastinehad, PhD, RN, Excelsior College, Albany, NY, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: design a framework for promoting multidisciplinary collaboration in implementing evidence-based practice. |
| Learning Objective #2: analyze the disciplinary barriers and facilitators for implementing evidence-based practice. |
Promoting safe and effective patient care is the fundamental aim of health care and no single provider is wholly responsible for care outcomes. Yet, studies show that cooperation and collaborative behaviors among healthcare professionals are often lacking, and the ability to work together effectively is rare. This lack of collaboration insulates healthcare professionals and undercuts the reasonable diffusion of knowledge and translation of evidence into practice. At the last revision of our online research and evidence-based practice (EBP) course in the Masters Program, we focused on the value of addressing evidence-based practice from multidisciplinary perspectives. The four credit course is now also open to multidisciplinary healthcare professionals. The focus is on research, scientific method, systems theory, disciplinary perspectives, and synergy. The aim is to promote teaching-learning EBP from the perspectives of multiple healthcare disciplines, with the ultimate goal of promoting collaboration and effective patient care. Graduate nursing and health science students from different parts of the United States and countries like Canada and the Virgin Islands learn the rudiments of the research process, how to critique research, as well as the translation of research findings into practice. Students are challenged to identify health care problems, review and critique research evidence, and develop a proposal for implementing research-based interventions in practice. Additionally, they are asked to identify disciplinary and organizational barriers and facilitators to successful implementation of research evidence. The new focus on multidisciplinary EBP should help topple departmental silos and promote increased collaboration among various healthcare providers. Collaboration will provide a clearer picture of the total healthcare system, expose gaps in knowledge, hasten dissemination of research knowledge, and ultimately contribute to improving patient care.