PDAs & Software

Evidence-Based Nursing

by Becky Sisk, PhD, RN

© 2002

Click here for further resources on Evidence Practice.

Evidence-Based Nursing (EBN) is "the process by which nurses make clinical decisions using the best available research evidence, their clinical expertise and patient preferences" (University of Minnesota Evidence-Based Nursing site, 2001). The goal of EBN is to apply valid and reliable nursing research to clinical practice ("Research utilization").  Early models of research utilization were precursors to the EBN movement:  The CURN (Conduct and Utilization of Research in Nursing) model, the Stetler Model, and the Iowa Model (Quality Assurance Model Using Research, University of Iowa).  

A further goal of evidence-based practice is to bring the most current knowledge to clinicians (German Center for Evidence Based Nursing, 2001).  This is particularly important due to the knowledge explosion in nursing and health care. 

The methodology of EBN is comparable to the methodology of evidence-based medicine (EBM, see Volume 12)--the problem solving process, including identifying a clinical problem, searching for research related to the problem, evaluating the research, and identifying the most useful intervention related to the problem. 

The most crucial part of the process is to find valid and reliable research. Kathryn Nesbit, Database Education Specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, has developed filters to use with CINAHL, through Ovid, to find better clinical studies.  Instructions are available at http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/hslt/miner/digital_library/tip_sheets/Cinahl_eb_filters.pdf.

Nurse researchers use several tools to describe EBN interventions, such as systematic literature review, in which the literature is analyzed following strict criteria, and meta-analysis, in which statistical results are combined to find the most useful interventions.

EBN has developed in the U.S. out of the emphasis on clinical research and the establishment of the National Institute for Nursing Research in the 1980's.  EBN is an international movement, with leadership from nurses in the United Kingdom, the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and Germany.

Federal governments are interested in funding and collecting medical and nursing research on high quality, low cost interventions.  The implications for policy are obvious: Governments fund care (the extent depending on the country) and do not want to waste money on ineffective, expensive treatments.  This effort is often frustrating for physicians, who feel they should be able to choose interventions they deem necessary.  Yet, governments and other funders do not want to waste money on ineffective and perhaps dangerous treatments.

Bibliography

Edward G. Miner Library. (2002). Evidence-based filters for Ovid CINAHL.  Retrieved July 31, 2002.  http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/Miner/Educ/ebnfilt.htm.

German Center for Evidence Based Nursing . (2001).  Aufgaben und Grenzen von EBN.  Retrieved July 31, 2002.  http://www.ebn-zentrum.de/.

University of Minnesota.  (2001).  Evidence Based Nursing. Retrieved July 31, 2002. http://evidence.ahc.umn.edu/ebn.htm.

Students: The intent of this article is to summarize material on evidence based nursing.  It is a secondary source.  Please go to the references, which are primary sources, and use them to prepare your paper or presentation.