Building a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice

Common nursing interventions are based solely on tradition, not on research or other evidence-based practice guidelines, according to an article published in the April issue of Critical Care Nurse (CNN).

Based on current reviews of clinical practice, fewer than 15% of clinicians consistently implement evidence-based care, and it can take up to two decades for original research to be put into routine clinical practice, the article states.

“It is important for nurses to continually evaluate their practice to ensure that current best evidence is guiding practice interventions, rather than providing care based on tradition alone,” lead author Mary Beth Flynn Makic, RN, PhD, CNS, CCNS, a research nurse scientist in critical care at University of Colorado Hospital said in a press release. “As research and new evidence evolve, nurses are often the frontline catalysts for translating them into practice.”

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The article, titled “Examining the Evidence to Guide Practice: Challenging Practice Habits,” encourages nurses to critically evaluate and apply evidence to their daily practice in order to improve patient outcomes and question practice interventions that are solely based on tradition by examining current practices.