MSK, an ANCC Magnet®, NCI designated comprehensive cancer center approached the Helene Fuld National Institute for EBP (the Fuld) team with a plan to implement a house wide evidence based practice (EBP) program utilizing leadership as the inaugural cohort. This presentation will provide details on how the executive leadership’s decision to educate nursing leadership (CNO/executive nurse leaders, mid-level managers, CNS, NPDS) in the initial EBP immersion positively impacted the success of the program. The presentation will also discuss how engaging leadership with a shared vision supports their knowledge of, and competence with, EBP which then cultivates an environment of learning, supporting and mentoring.
Methods
Engaging nursing leadership, with a diverse skill set, and setting them on a course for education and inspiration, cultivated a spirit of inquiry among nursing leadership as well as the teams that report to them. A successful strategy was the alignment of nurse leader EBP teams with institutional strategic initiatives. This strategy allowed for capitalization of early adopters, actualization of the EBP role and ultimately project interventions with measured outcomes and return on investment (ROI).
Results
This presentation will detail how an inspired, and educated, leadership team promoted the enculturation of EBP institution wide, and led to measureable outcomes on challenging clinical/institutional initiatives such as falls, handoff, mindfulness, inpatient discharge, palliative care, opioid addiction in the oncology patient, extravasations, etc. To date, thirty one initiatives have emerged. Sixteen mentors were developed who will then support future cohorts ultimately playing an even larger role in future immersions. A measured increase in knowledge of EBP was appreciated as a result of the immersion. A second, unpredicted, outcome was that the immersion sparked an interest from participants, in returning to advanced degree programs.
Conclusion
Partnering with the Fuld, allowed MSK leadership to utilize a systematic process for translating evidence into practice. Capitalizing on this new skill set, lead to confirmation of existing practice/policy and also to novel EBP interventions for universal, ongoing, and problematic clinical issues. The initial immersion became the foundation for embedding EBP into the culture of MSK. Expanding the exposure with cohort two reignited cohort one’s dedication to the EBP process as mentors, facilitators, advocates, resources and ultimately impacted the success of the program.