The Challenges and Strategies to Support Faculty in Implementing Evidence-Based Practice

This presentation will focus on the use of technology and collaboration to reform education and practice at Blessing Hospital and Blessing-Rieman College of Nursing. During the 1980’s and 90’s the hospital and college had several multi-layered relationships including projects, consultations, research, and committee involvement. The hospital adopted a Professional Practice Framework with CPMRC which included partnership councils, partnering relationships, evidence-based practice, scope of practice and technology tools and resources. This initiated a new step in this partnership journey among college faculty, students, hospital leaders and staff. This represented a renewed commitment to bridge the gap between academia and service in order to provide consistent, quality, and safe care for patients. This resulted in new strategies for faculty approaches including students participation in partnerships with research, technology, scope of practice, and clinical practice guideline development. Students are introduced to knowledge-based charting and the Blessing Automated Record in their sophomore clinical lab and experiences. Annual updates are integrated into student orientation. Students learn these systems incrementally, and routinely use these systems in their patient care activities. Students use clinical practice guidelines as part of their clinical preparation, patient care, and classroom case studies. Scope of practice statements are used in critical thinking exercises for senior students. Students now use hand held computers as a point-of-service resource for patient care.  Future steps include increased integration of interdisciplinary scope of practice in the students’ education. The results of surveys conducted with faculty, students, staff and patients to evaluate the impact of these technology and collaboration initiatives will be presented.