Evidence-based practice is seen as a critical component in raising the standard of medical care and patient outcomes. EBP in nursing improves the capacity for decision-making and the ability to create personalized treatment plans that result in successful care delivery. Despite the expanding field, a rising amount of research about what influences practice change, and the declared mission of the Institute of Medicine, there is still limited transmission of this data to healthcare professionals.
Nurses frequently fail to use implementation technology when establishing an EBP shift, despite scientific discoveries and theories that might help guide the planning process. Additionally, a “secondary gap” could result from healthcare staff recognizing the evidence that needs to be put into practice but ignoring the evidence regarding the best methods for utilizing them (Tucker et al., 2021). The barriers divide into several groups where they can emerge. Adopter-based – the nurse experiences a lack of knowledge or skills and does not understand the value of such research for professional practice. Organizational barriers include facilities or administration problems with the inadequate implementation or the lack of nurses’ authority to change patient care. Innovation issues relate to the limitations of the research base, and communication is connected with short reports and statistical data access.
The possible solutions to the issues can be achieved by implementing various frameworks or models for the healthcare system organization. It may include the Iowa Model, which is based on state policy and external influences with features such as a step-by-step process, gradual shift, and adherence to the organization’s objectives. The other way of addressing the barriers is based on advancing research & clinical practice through close collaboration framework. Such an approach involves assessments of organizational culture and readiness for change, which may help to control administrative and adaptor issues. At the same time application of mentor strategy and building of EBP knowledge, beliefs, and skills will reduce the communication stress and address the new emerging practices quicker.
Therefore, evidence-based practice is limited today and requires a collective effort for improvement. In primary healthcare settings, nurses must seek and reserve time to read, exercise, and manage EBP deployment. They must explore options for adopting findings from evidence-based research that could direct their routine practice in healthcare facilities. As well as the state or administration must implement frameworks to create a system of methods to use the approach more effectively.
References
Tucker, S., McNett, M., Mazurek Melnyk, B., Hanrahan, K., Hunter, S. C., Kim, B., Kitson, A. (2021). Implementation science: Application of evidence‐based practice models to improve healthcare quality. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 18(2), 76–84.