Informatics

Applications in
Evidence-Based
Nursing Practice
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

• Evidence-based practice (EBP) is

the process of collecting,
processing, and implementing
research findings to improve
clinical practice, the work
environment, or patient outcomes.
• The ultimate goal of the evidence-
based nursing problem-solving
approach is to help nurses provide
the highest-quality, most cost-
efficient care possible.
 Nursing Care Plan
• A Nursing Care Plan provides
direction on the type of nursing
care the patient may need.
• Care Plans are critical aspect of
nursing and are meant to allow a
standardized, evidence-based
holistic care
 Computerized Nursing
Care Plan
• A computerized nursing care plan is
a digital way of writing the care plan.
• Developed as a way to manage huge
volume of information required in
contemporary health care
• Nurses use computers to store
clients’ database, add new data,
create and revise care plans and
document client progress
Advantages of the Computerized
Nursing Care Plans
• Elimination of manual documentation,
• Execute computerized prescriptions
based on nursing diagnosis,
• Improve the review and recovery of
associated clinical notes
• Nurses can produce a synthesis of
the conditions of a patient who needs
in lesser time.
Advantages of the Computerized
Nursing Care Plans
• Improvement in the reception of
patients, making it possible to
individualize care.
• Reduced time for elaboration of
nursing diagnoses
 Critical Pathway
• It is a clinical management tool that
helps medical care providers
coordinate the delivery of patient
care for a particular case type or
condition.
• It is a guide to usual treatment
patterns that gives a view of the
"big picture."
 Critical Pathway
• The Clinical Pathway usually
recommends a total treatment regimen
that are formulated through the
consensus of a multi-disciplinary
collaboration of all those involved in a
patient's care.
• If developed and implemented properly,
critical paths can lead to desirable
outcomes for the patient and improved
operating effectiveness/efficiency for
the healthcare facility. 
Clinical Pathway Components

• Protocols
• Algorithms
• Clinical practice guidelines
 Critical Guidelines
• A clinical practice guideline is a
systematically developed statement
designed to help health care
professionals make decisions about
appropriate health care for specific
clinical circumstances.
• Guidelines are developed in an effort to
help ensure consistent, evidence-based
care of critical care patients using the
most up-to-date and relevant
knowledge available.
Purposes of Critical Guidelines
• Describes a range of generally
accepted approaches for the
diagnosis, management, or
prevention of specific diseases or
conditions.
• Define practices that meet the
needs of most patients in most
circumstances.
 E-journals
• An electronic journal is a periodical
publication which is published in
electronic format, usually on the
Internet.
• Journals provide a forum for clinicians
to share learning and experiences in
their practice and profession. Most
importantly, however, they provide a
mechanism to keep readers up to date
with current research on a variety of
topics.
 Advantages of Electronic
Documents
• Documents are more useful in
electronic form due to enhanced search
ability
• Electronic format is sometimes the only
alternative so it represents a net
increase in the information base. Since
the volume of printed materials are
increasing at great speed and libraries
can only offer a small part of it, it is
important to provide electronic formats.
  Advantages of Electronic
Documents
• There is economy of storage: the increase
in cost for keeping printed material makes
electronic forms more attractive from an
economic viewpoint.
• E-journals make it possible to search for
researching the best possible evidence to
help in the care and management of
patients.