Creating a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice

Smith, Cheryl Mixon

Thursday, July 14, 2011: 8:30 AM

Cheryl Mixon Smith, EdD, RN, FNP
Sheri R. Noviello, PhD, RN, CNE
Amanda B. Hawkins, MSN, RN
School of Nursing, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA

Learning Objective 1: describe the process of integrating evidence based practice in a undergraduate and graduate nursing curriculum.

Learning Objective 2: discuss the relevance of nursing students using evidence based practice in the classroom, clinical areas and in future health care settings to improve patient outcomes.

The use of evidence based practice principles to change clinical practice and the use of evidence based guidelines to change patient care has resulted in improved patient outcomes, reduced hospitals stays and decreased health care costs for healthcare facilities. The integration of evidence based practice (EBP) throughout undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula is essential in socializing nursing professionals to value these principles and to apply them to their clinical practice for optimal patient outcomes. Nursing faculty who teach evidence based research are instrumental in this process in order to produce nursing graduates who can use these principles to contribute to the science of nursing, keep practice current and relevant, and increase confidence in decision making in the clinical area. As these graduates seek employment both locally and globally, their understanding and use of evidence based practice principles will be a part of their clinical practice and will help create a culture of EBP in their areas of influence.

The journey to integrate evidence based practice in the curriculum and to create a culture of EBP in the undergraduate nursing program began with a small core faculty group who attended a week-long immersion workshop. This workshop enriched their knowledge of EBP concepts and provided opportunities to learn strategies to incorporate these concepts throughout the curriculum. The journey continued as this core group began to work with other faculty to identify where the concepts could be incorporated into the classroom and clinical settings.

The school of nursing has successfully integrated evidence based practice into the curriculum. The process of accomplishing this will be discussed during the presentation. Schools of nursing are challenged to follow this journey and incorporate EBP throughout their curriculum which will develop nurses who use these principles to improve patient outcomes by using the most recent and best evidence.

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