Chapter 5 fundamentals

To provide patient care of the highest quality, nurses utilize an evidence-based practice approach because evidence-based practice is

A guide for nurses in making clinical decisions.

The nurse is developing a PICO question related to whether her patient's blood pressure is more accurate while measuring with the patient's legs crossed versus with the patient's feet flat on the floor. With P being the population of interest, I the intervention of interest, C the comparison of interest, and O the outcome, the nurse determines that this is

A true PICO question regardless of placement of elements.

The nurse is caring for a patient with chronic low back pain. In providing care for this patient, the nurse wonders whether the guidelines utilized for this type of pain are adequate. The nurse wants to determine the best evidence-based practice regarding these guidelines. What is the best database for the nurse to access?

AHRQ

The researcher is preparing to publish his study findings. In doing so, the researcher is aware of many ways that the study could have been done better, but that he did not have the ability to do. The researcher discloses these limitations in the manuscript, but they are most likely detected during which phase of the research process?

Analysis of data

The hospital policy states that when starting an intravenous (IV) catheter, the nurse must first prepare the potential IV site with alcohol and dress it using a gauze dressing. The nurse has done a literature review and believes that evidence-based practice dictates the use of a transparent dressing to prevent catheter dislodgment. What should the nurse do?

Bring findings to the policy and procedure committee.

The hospital's quality improvement committee has identified a problem on one of the units. In using the PDSA method to help determine ways to deal with the issue, the committee decides to do a literature review. This is an example of quality improvement

Combined with evidence-based practice.

The quality improvement committee has been alerted to an increased number of falls in the hospital. Most of these falls have occurred at night and have involved patients who were trying to crawl over bedrails. A literature review brought out that most falls occur because patients are trying to go to the bathroom. The committee created a practice change that bed rails should be left in the down position, and hourly nursing rounds should be conducted. What is the committee's next step?

Communicate to staff the results of this inquiry.

The nurse has used her PICO question to develop an evidence-based change in protocol for a certain nursing procedure. However, to make these changes throughout the entire institution would require more support staff than is available at this time. What is the nurse's best option?

Conduct a pilot study to develop evidence to support the change.

In conducting a research study, the researcher must guarantee that any information the subject provides will not be reported in any manner that identifies the subject and will not be accessible to people outside the research team. This concept is known as

Confidentiality

In caring for patients, it is important for the nurse to realize that evidence-based practice is

Dependent on patient values and expectations.

The nurse is writing a research article on a patient care topic. The nurse realizes that the section that will get the reader to read the article because of the value of the topic for the reader is the

Introduction.

The first step in evidence-based practice is to ask a clinical question. In doing so, the nurse needs to realize that in researching interventions, the question

May be easier if in PICO format.

The hospital quality improvement committee has noted that the incidence of needle stick injuries on a particular unit has increased. When faced with issues, the committee applies the PDSA model, a formal model for exploring and resolving quality concerns. Because the committee is multidisciplinary in nature, and few members are nurses, it is imperative that the committee first

Plan.

The nurse is trying to identify common general themes relative to the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation for patients who have had heart attacks and have gone through cardiac rehabilitation programs. The nurse conducts interviews and focus groups. What type of research is the nurse conducting?

Qualitative research

Qualitative nursing research is valuable in that it

Studies phenomena that are difficult to quantify.

In reviewing literature for an evidence-based practice study, the nurse realizes that the most reliable level of evidence is the

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

In collecting the best evidence, the gold standard for research is

The randomized controlled trial (RCT).

When evaluating quality improvement (QI) programs in relation to evidence-based practice (EBP), it is easy to note that

When implementing EBP projects, it is important to review QI data.

The nurse is preparing to conduct research that will allow precise measurement of a phenomenon. Which of the following methods will provide the nurse with the right kind of data? (Select all that apply.)

a. Experimental research b. Surveys c. Evaluation research

Before conducting any study with human subjects, the researcher must obtain approval from the agency's human subjects committee or institutional review board (IRB). The IRB ensures that the researcher (Select all that apply.)

a. Obtains informed consent. b. Minimizes risk to subjects. c. Ensures confidentiality. d. Identifies risks and benefits of participation.

The nurse is doing a literature review related to a potential problem that has been identified on the nursing unit. The nurse realizes that nursing research is important in that it is designed to (Select all that apply.)

b. Identify new knowledge. c. Improve professional practice. d. Enhance effective use of resources.