HSC 3133 - Legal & Contemporary Issues in Health Care

The fourth step in the evidence-based practice process is to synthesize the best practices from the literature and apply the new practice(s) in place of outdated, less effective, or unsafe current practices. 

The Rosswurm and Larrabee (1999) model for guiding healthcare workers through systematic changes with the EBP process:

Assess the need for change in practice.

Link the problem with interventions and outcomes.

Synthesize the best evidence.

Design a change in practice.

Implement and evaluate the practice.

Integrate and maintain the practice change.

To effectively apply the EBP process, in addition to the basic skills required in the healthcare field, a competent healthcare worker must be able to:

Identify knowledge gaps

Formulate relevant questions

Conduct an efficient literature search

Apply rules of evidence to determine the validity of studies

Apply the literature findings appropriately to the patient's problem, and

Appropriately involve the patient in the clinical decision making.

Source: Adopting evidence-based practice in clinical decision making. Journal of the Medical Library Association. 

* That's the way I was trained.

* We have always done it that way with no problems.

* It's a "sacred cow"; we can't change that.

* Change is uncomfortable.

* It costs too much to change.

* We can't make all these changes at one time.

* When I am in a hurry I do what I have always done... it's just not a habit yet.

* There needs to be more research so we can be sure.

* I don't feel it will make a difference.

* There are too many competing demands.

Source: Why are Nurses so Reluctant to Implement Changes Based on Evidence and What can We Do to Help? Journal for Nurses in Professional Development. 

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