Evidence Synthesis: Raising the Bar in Undergraduate Education

Wednesday, 14 July 2010: 8:50 AM

Susan B. Stillwell, DNP, RN, CNE
College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to differentiate between critiquing, evaluating and synthesizing the evidence

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to discuss strategies to teach UG nursing students to synthesize available evidence

Evidence Synthesis: Raising the Bar in Undergraduate Education

Some nurse educators believe evidence synthesis is a process reserved only for graduate education. In order to produce nurses who practice based on evidence, undergraduate nursing programs need to include all elements of the evidence-based practice (EBP) process. As with the nursing process, the EBP process should be threaded throughout the entire curriculum. We must move the academic paradigm from critiquing one research study at a time to synthesizing a body of evidence as the basis for clinical decision-making.  This session will focus on differentiating the steps and outcomes of critiquing, evaluating and synthesizing the evidence. In addition, strategies to teach undergraduate students how to synthesize the evidence will be discussed.