Improving Healthcare Quality and

Patient
Outcomes Through the Integration
of
Evidence-Based Practice and
Informatics
Reported by: TARE, JAED ELAINE, BSN2-A
Introduction
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here if you need it
According to Sackett, evidence-based practice is a conscientious use of current best
evidence in making decisions about patient care.

There is mounting evidence that implementation of evidence-based practice by nurses and

other health professionals result in higher quality healthcare, improved patient outcomes,
less variation in care and reduced costs compared with care that is steeped in tradition or
based on outdated policies and practices (McGinty & Anderson, 2008; Melnyk & Fineout-
Overholt, 2011).

Both external evidence and internal evidence should be used in evidence-based decision
making. Clinicians must translate both evidences that is collected, analyzed ad critically
appraised into useful information to guide best practices.
There is no doubt that the use of technology with clinical decision support systems can
enhance the delivery of evidence-based care. However, technology must be used by
clinicians who implement the steps of EBP and healthcare organizations that cultivate
system-wide cultures of EBP if high-quality evidence-based care is to be sustained.

In 2000, Sackett and colleagues defined EBP as the conscientious use of current best
evidence in making decisions about patient care. Since then, EBP has been broadened and
described as a problem-solving approach to the delivery of care that integrates the best
evidence from well-designed studies with a clinician’s expertise and patient preferences and
values in making clinical decisions.
The Seven Steps of EBP
Barriers and Facilitators of EBP

Barriers:
• misperceptions by clinicians that it takes too much time
• lack of EBP knowledge and skills
• organizational cultures that do not support EBP
• lack of resources, including clinical decision support tools
• executive leaders and managers who do not model and/or support EBP
• lack of EBP mentors to work with point-of-care staff on implementing evidence-based
care
• inadequate access to databases by clinicians in order to track patient and system
outcomes, and
• negative attitudes toward research
Barriers and Facilitators of EBP

Facilitators:
• strong beliefs about the value of EBP and the ability to implement it
• EBP knowledge and skills
• organizational cultures that support EBP
• EBP mentors who have in-depth knowledge and skills in evidence-based care as well as
individual and organizational change
• administrative support
• clinical promotion systems that incorporate EBP competencies
• EBP tools at the point of care such as clinical decision support systems
Cultivating a Culture That Supports and
Sustains EBP
An organization must provide system wide-support for evidence-based practice.

A support begins with a vision, philosophy and mission that incorporate EBP as a key
component which are made visible to all throughout the organization.

Integrating EBP and the newly created EBP competencies for registered nurses and
advanced practice nurses establishes the importance of evidence-based care for staff
advancement.

Ample resources and supports must be provided to clinicians that enhance their ability to
provide evidence-based practice.
THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE-
BASED
PRACTICE
Technology Tools in Clinical Practice

Information Technology (IT) has brought to healthcare a compendium of new

tools which support EBP.

The goal of informatics is used to bring critical and essential information to the
point of care to increase efficiency, make healthcare safer and more effective
and improve quality and outcomes.
Competencies

Nursing professionals range in age from their early 20s to their 60s with the
average age registered nurse today in their early 50s.

An NLN (National League of Nursing) study in 2006 revealed that 60% of

nursing programs had a computer literacy requirement and 40% had an
information literacy requirement.

As an outcome, NLN published a position statement recommending nursing

schools require all nursing students graduate with knowledge and skills in these
critical areas: computer literacy, information literacy and informatics.
Thank You