In this section of my training, I learned for the first time how to better be an independent judge of the validity of research studies and recommendations.  From it's inception, nursing has been centered on the science of and art of compassionately providing care to those for whom we have responsibility.  All practice must be evaluated on the basis of scientific evidence.  Although we may have "a hunch" about how to address a given problem or situation, it is vital that how we practice is based on truths or constructs developed from valid scientific research.  As medicine evolves and technology develops, we may need to alter how we practice and what we teach our patients.

Through the course "Evidence Based Practice and Applied Nursing Research, I learned to evaluate primary research.  It has helped me to better appreciate how nurses are the innovators of of new practice standards because they are on the front line of providing that care.  I remember learning how as nurses, we have "to know what is and what is not possible when planning, implementing, and evaluating patient care, and [we] need to be able to reassess and change the care plan as it is placed into action."

I learned this course that the highest level of evidence to make a change in clinical practice comes from a systematic review, meta-analysis or established evidence-based clinical practice (EBCP) guideline based on systematic review.  Other levels of evidence come from randomized controlled trials where a specific intervention is evaluated in the experimental group while the control group maintains the status quo.  Other evidence can be gathered from other types of quantitative or qualitative studies or expert opinion and analyses.

Unlike clinical research, EBCP is not about validating existing practice or developing new knowledge.  It's about how to use the best information available--even if that informatation comes from a consensus of experts in the field when specific research on the subject is not available.  Where research is to develop new knowledge, EBCP is about how to translate that knowledge into the best possible clinical practice.

This course has helped me to look at research in a new way.  It has given me the tools to determine what the evidence or phenomena actually is, whether the conclusions are valid, how to look for conflict of interest and how to determine whether the findings will be helpful and/or applicable in my own clinical practice.  It is my duty to evolve as evidence points to new ways of practice and to use my leadership skills to encourage my peers to do the same.