8-1 Discussion: Evidence-based practice and generalizability
Evidence-based practice requires you to use your expertise and apply the most current and best research to achieve optimal health outcomes. To evaluate whether the research you want to use for your client population is optimal, you should verify that it contains the four elements of evidence-based practice: validity, reliability, relevance, and outcome. Another important factor to consider, especially if the research targets a population different from yours, is to determine its generalizability.
For your initial discussion post, find an article that describes an intervention for an evidence-based clinical decision that used quantitative research. Address the following in your post:
- Summarize the study briefly, including the type of study and the client population. Also, include whether the actual outcomes of the research matched the expected outcomes.
- Describe how the study demonstrates the key elements of evidence-based practice.
- Determine whether the results in the study are generalizable for other populations.
- How did you reach this conclusion?
- If the intervention discussed in the study applied to your situation or workplace, would you use this study to plan an intervention or make a decision for your clients?
- If you think this study is not applicable to your population, explain why.
Article for reference:
Fossum, M., Opsal, A., & Ehrenberg, A. (2022). Nurses’ sources of information to inform clinical practice: An integrative review to guide evidenceâ€based practice. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 19(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12569 ‌
