The Philosophical Orientation of Evidence-Based Practice and its Relation to Nursing

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The Philosophical Orientation of Evidence-Based Practice and its Relation to Nursing

Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2019, Vol 19, Issue 2

Abstract

In 1980, the healthcare system was somewhat outdated, and many members of the public had a negative image of healthcare providers because providers were using outdated procedures that were not cost effective. As a result, researchers began to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of healthcare treatments [1]. Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of various treatments by using randomized controlled trials (RCT) during which treatments were compared to placebos. These studies moved health sciences into a new era during which healthcare providers started to use the results of these studies to help them determine the most effective and cost-effective treatments for their patients. This movement helped to improve the healthcare system by lowering the authority of individual opinion and increasing the value of “data-based studies” [2]. In Canada, evidence-based practice (EBP) first began in the McMaster Medical School as a paradigm to describe the strategy of clinical learning [2]. Shortly afterward, it became the paradigm for both EBP medical education and medical practice. EBP first began as evidence-based medicine (EBM), which is defined as “the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” [3]. Currently, confusion exists between both terms EBP and EBM because they have been used interchangeably. In addition, the definition of EBP is not very clear, and there are many questions regarding the foundations of EBP, such as how to define the best source of evidence and the definition of clinical expertise. After reading more about EBP, it was understood that EBP has different meanings for different people [2]. The term EBP has been expanded to various sciences including nursing. The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) states that EBP offers support to nurses to help them provide quality nursing care. Furthermore, EBP helps nurses provide equitable care even when resources are in short supply. Nurses have reconstructed the definition of EBP in various ways for use in nursing science and nursing practice with a common theme of evidence derived from research. However, these definitions are inconsistent in terms of interventions, clinical expertise, and sources of evidence other than research. Furthermore, nursing literature uses the phrase evidence-based nursing (EBN), which is consistent with EBP in its use of evidence, but EBN itself has been defined in different ways that have resulted in variations and confusion. For example, Kessenich and Guyatt describe EBN as a philosophy of learning whereas Stetler and colleagues use a definition that is abstracted from evidence-based medicine.

Authors and Affiliations

Arwa Alsadoon

Keywords

EP ID EP622639
DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.19.003287
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