Assessment 1 Instructions: Locating Credible Databases and Research

Create a 2-4 page resource that will describe databases that are relevant to EBP around a diagnosis you chose and could be used to help a new hire nurse better engage in EBP.

Introduction

Evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates the best evidence available to guide optimal nursing care, with a goal to enhance safety and quality. EBP is crucial to nursing practice because it incorporates the best evidence from current literature, along with the expertise of the practicing nurse. The concern for quality care that flows from EBP generates a desired outcome. Without these factors, a nurse cannot be an effective leader. It is important to lead not only from this position but from knowledge and expertise. To gain the knowledge, you require a good understanding of how to search for scholarly resources, as well as identify which databases and websites are credible for the purposes of implementing evidence-based changes in practice.

Your Online e-Portfolio

Creating an ePortfolio is not required in the BSN program, but you may find it helpful to create one to attach to your professional resume while job hunting. Online ePortfolios serve two key purposes: 1) to support learning and reflection, and 2) to be used as a showcase tool. Your learning journey can be documented, and ePortfolios contribute to lifelong learning and growth through reflection and sharing. Online ePortfolios can also be shared with employers and peers to present artifacts that demonstrate your accomplishments at Capella.

Professional Context

As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for providing patient-centered, competent care based on current evidence-based best practices. You will be required to do research, analysis, and dissemination of best evidence to stay abreast of these best practices. Understanding where to go to find credible sources and locate evidence, as well as which search terms to use, is the foundation of incorporation of best practices.

Scenario

You are supervising three nurses working on the medical-surgical floor of a local teaching hospital. This hospital is nationally recognized as a leader in education and has a computer lab with an online library where staff has access to medical research databases (that is, CINAHL, PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane library) and online sources of all hospital policies, procedures, and guidelines, and computers at nurse workstations that also have access to these resources. (For this scenario, use the Capella University Library to simulate the hospital's online library.) You have given the nurses their patient assignments and you have all participated in shift report. A new nurse who just completed orientation and training a week ago approaches you and tells you that one of the assigned patients has a diagnosis he or she is very unfamiliar with. Knowing that patient-centered care based on best practices is imperative to positive patient outcomes, you want to assist this nurse to find research that can be utilized to provide the best care for this patient. Describe how you would communicate with this nurse to encourage him or her to research the diagnosis. Assume you will assist in the quest to locate evidence, then describe where you would go within the facility and what resources you would look for. These resources may include websites, journals, facility policies or guidelines, or any other sources of online information.

You may choose the diagnosis for the patient in this scenario or health care issue/diagnosis of your choice. Or you may choose something you would find interesting to research or that applies to a clinical problem/diagnosis you would be interested in addressing. Create a list of at least five sources that could be used to find evidence, with the best source listed first, and explain why the sources you chose are best to find evidence for the diagnosis you chose and the clinical scenario. You are only evaluating the sources of evidence (database, website, policy database or website, journal article, et cetera). You are not actually completing a search and selecting evidence. Consider the following examples: a nursing journal in CINAHL may not be the best source of evidence for information on how to administer medications through a central-venous catheter, whereas a hospital policy database found on a website may not be the best source of information on caring for a patient with a rare chromosomal abnormality.

Preparation

To help ensure you are prepared to complete this assessment, review the following resources related to the Capella library. These resources will provide you an overview of the types of tools, resources, and guides available in the library. This may be useful in forming a better understanding of the library to apply to the hypothetical situation laid out in the scenario of this assessment.

BSN Program Library Research Guide.

Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Health Sciences.

Databases A-Z: Nursing & Health Sciences.

Get Critical Search Skills.

Remember, it is also appropriate to look toward databases and resources outside of the Capella library, such as organizational policies, professional organizations, and government health care resources.

You are encouraged to complete the Evaluating the Credibility of Evidence activity. This activity offers an opportunity to practice evaluating the credibility of evidence. These skills will be necessary to complete Assessment 1 successfully and is for your own practice and self-assessment. Completing this activity is also a way to demonstrate course engagement.

Instructions

The purpose of this assessment is to understand where to find evidence that can be applied to clinical scenarios and to learn effective communication and collaboration with clinical staff during the process of evidence location. As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will not only use research for self-improvement in your clinical role, but you will also serve as a mentor to supervised nursing staff. Therefore, you will need to be able to communicate and collaborate effectively to guide them toward resources to find research, as well as support them through the initial evidence location process. In doing so, nurses can gain access to evidence that can be analyzed and utilized to stay current on best practices. This allows them to provide safe, patient-centered care and improve patient outcomes.

For this assessment:

Describe your role as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse supervising clinical staff nurses with regard to communication and collaboration in locating evidence for application to a nursing practice scenario.

Compile a list of five online databases or other online sources (that is, websites, journals, facility policies or guidelines, et cetera) that can be used to research evidence to apply to this scenario or clinical practice issue/diagnosis and describe to which of these you would direct a nurse colleague to search for evidence.

Describe where you might go in the work place to complete this research and how you would access the desired, relevant research within research databases or other online sources.

Be sure to address the following in this assessment, which correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so that you will know what is needed for a distinguished score.

Describe communication strategies to encourage nurses to research the diagnosis/practice issue, as well as strategies to collaborate with the nurses to access resources.

Describe the best places to complete research and what types of resources you would want to access to find pertinent information for the diagnosis/health care issue within the context of a specific health care setting.

Identify five sources of online information (medical journal databases, websites, hospital policy databases, et cetera) that could be used to locate evidence for a clinical diagnosis/practice issue.

Explain why the sources of online information selected should provide the best evidence for the chosen diagnosis/health care issue.

Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling using current APA style.

Note: While you are not selecting and evaluating specific evidence to help with the clinical diagnosis/practice issue, you should still be citing the literature and best practices to support your description of your communication and collaboration approach. Additionally, it is appropriate to cite best practices related to EBP and evaluating databases to support your explanation as to why you selected the five sources of online information that you did.

Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like:

Assessment 1 Example [PDF].

Additional Requirements

Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Length of submission: 2-4 pages (not including the title page or the reference page) description of communication, collaboration, and evidence location process, including a list of databases or other sources with description of why they are appropriate for clinical scenario diagnosis/health care issue (that is, something that would be useable in professional practice for other nurses). Be sure to include an APA-formatted reference page at the end of your submission.

Number of references: Cite a minimum of three sources of scholarly or professional evidence that supports your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than five years old.

APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style.

Assessment 2 Instructions: Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources

Develop a 2-4 page scholarly paper in which you describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, and then identify and analyze credible evidence that could be used as the basis for applying EBP to the issue.

Introduction

The goal of using evidence-based research findings is to enhance safety and quality of patient care and ensure optimal outcomes are achieved. It is not uncommon to hear a nurse say, "why change it as we’ve always done it this way." However, this is no longer acceptable in today's practice environment. The profession of nursing has evolved, and the expectation is that the professional nurse has a scientific foundation to support the care that is provided. As the profession of nursing continues to evolve and engage in health care transformation, baccalaureate-prepared nurses are expanding taking on leadership roles that include incorporating EBPs. To be able to do this, the nurse needs to understand the criteria and makes a resource credible, as this is crucial when deciding if the research is valid and reliable for implementation into health care settings. The nurse will need to incorporate the use of evidence-based practice models. EBP models are designed to assist the nurse in developing a plan to gather evidence to answer a practice problem or question. It is a systematic approach to direct the user to incorporate scholarly findings into current practice. These EBP models lead the nurse through the decision-making process of evaluating the literature to determine the best practice evidence for the practice issue or question.

It would be an excellent choice to complete the Vila Health Determining the Credibility of Evidence activity prior to developing the report. The activity is a media simulation that offers an opportunity to review a scenario and work on determining the credibility of presented evidence. These skills will be necessary to complete Assessment 2 successfully. This media simulation is one potential source of context on which to base your assessment submission. This will take just a few minutes of your time and is not graded.

Professional Context

As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for locating and identifying credible and scholarly resources to incorporate the best available evidence for the purposes of enhancing clinical reasoning and judgement skills. When reliable and relevant evidence-based findings are utilized, patients, health care systems, and nursing practice outcomes are positively impacted.

Scenario

For this assessment, you may choose from the following options as the context for the quality or safety issue or chosen diagnosis/health issue for researching and completing this assessment:

The specific diagnosis/health issue you identified in your previous assessment.

The simulation Vila Health: Determining the Credibility of Evidence.

A personal practice experience in which a sentinel event occurred.

Instructions

The purpose of this analysis is to better understand what constitutes credibility of journal articles as well as websites. The role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in incorporating evidence-based research continues to growth in clinical practice. As quality improvement (QI) measures to reduce safety risks continue to be emphasized, the need for evidence-based models and evidence-based templates is growing. This type of systematic approach to incorporating evidence-based findings allows nurses to make clinical and operational decisions based upon the best available evidence. When the most up-to-date evidence-based findings are utilized, patient-centered care improves outcomes and enhances the patient experience.

Below is a quick review table of several well-known Evidence-Based Practice Models used to guide exploration:

For this assessment:

Explain the criteria that should be used when determining the credibility of journal articles as well as websites.

Support your explanations with references to the literature or research articles that describe criteria that should be used to determine credibility. 

Your identification and determination of credibility should be done within the context of your chosen scenario for this assessment. For example, if you choose to use the provided Vila Health scenario, your initial identification of resources should be of resources that will best help address the presented issue. However, if you are locating resources to help provide evidence-based care for the diagnosis/health care issue you identified in the first assessment, you may want to begin your literature and evidence search from the databases that were identified. Any of the three scenario options are acceptable. So, pick the one that most interests you.

Be sure to address the following in this assessment, which correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so that you will know what is needed for a distinguished score.

Describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, that could benefit from an evidence-based approach.

Explain criteria that should be considered when determining credibility of resources such as journal articles and websites.

Analyze the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources within the context of a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis. 

This is where you are selecting the specific resources to help address the issue in your chosen scenario. 

Identify the Evidence-Based Practice model and explain the importance of incorporating credible evidence into the EBP model used to address a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis/health care issue. Review the literature below and choose the appropriate model for your diagnosis/health care issue. 

Selecting a model for evidence-based practice changes. [PDF] and Evidence-Based Practice Models help explain the various evidence-based nursing models.

Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling using current APA style.

Additional Requirements

Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Length of submission: 2-4-page scholarly paper, this does not include the APA-formatted title page and reference list.

Number of references: Cite 3-5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than five years old.

APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style.

Portfolio Prompt: Remember to save the final assessment to your ePortfolio so that you may refer to it as you complete the final capstone course.

Assessment 3: PICO(T) Questions and an Evidence-Based Approach

Create a 3-5 page submission in which you develop a PICO(T) question for a specific care issue and evaluate the evidence you locate, which could help to answer the question.

Introduction

PICO(T) is an acronym that helps researchers and practitioners define aspects of a potential study or investigation. 

It stands for:

P - Patient/population/problem.

I - Intervention.

C - Comparison (of potential interventions, typically).

O - Outcome(s).

T - Time frame (if time frame is relevant).

The end goal of applying PICO(T) is to develop a question that can help guide the search for evidence (Boswell & Cannon, 2015). From this perspective, a PICO(T) question can be a valuable starting point for nurses who are starting to apply an evidence-based model or EBPs. By taking the time to precisely define the areas in which the nurse will be looking for evidence, searches become more efficient and effective. Essentially, by precisely defining the types of evidence within specific areas, the nurse will be more likely to discover relevant and useful evidence during their search. When applying the PICO(T) approach, the nurse can isolate the interventions of interest and compare to other existing interventions for the evidenced impact on the outcome of the concern.

You are encouraged to complete the Vila Health PICO(T) Process activity before you develop the plan proposal. This activity offers an opportunity to practice working through creating a PICO(T) question within the context of an issue at a Vila Health facility. These skills will be necessary to complete Assessment 3 successfully. This is for your own practice and self-assessment and demonstrates your engagement in the course.

Reference

Boswell, C., & Cannon, S. (2015). Introduction to nursing research. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Professional Context

As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will be responsible for locating and identifying credible and scholarly resources to incorporate the best available evidence for the purposes of enhancing clinical reasoning and judgement skills. When reliable and relevant evidence-based findings are utilized, patients, health care systems, and nursing practice outcomes are positively impacted.

PICO(T) is a framework that can help you structure your definition of the issue, potential approach that you are going to use, and your predictions related to the issue. Word choice is important in the PICO(T) process because different word choices for similar concepts will lead you toward different existing evidence and research studies that would help inform the development of your initial question. When writing a PICO(T)-formatted research question, you want to focus on the impact of the intervention and the comparison on the outcome you desire.

Scenario

For this assessment, please use a health care issue of interest from your current or past nursing practice.

If you do not have an issue of interest from your personal nursing practice, then review the optional Case Studies presented in the resources and select one of those as the basis for your assessment.

Instructions

For this assessment, select a health care issue of interest and apply the PICO(T) process to develop the research question and research it.

Your initial goal is to define the population, intervention, comparison, and outcome. In some cases, a time frame is relevant and you should include that as well, when writing a question you can research related to your issue of interest. After you define your question, research it, and organize your initial findings, select the two sources of evidence that seem the most relevant to your question and analyze them in more depth. Specifically, interpret each source's specific findings and best practices related to your issues, as well explain how the evidence would help you plan and make decisions related to your question.

If you need some structure to organize your initial thoughts and research, the PICOT Question and Research Template document (accessible from the "Create PICO(T) Questions" page in the Capella library's Evidence Based Practice guide) might be helpful.

In your submission, make sure you address the following grading criteria:

Define a practice issue to be explored via a PICO(T) approach. Create a PICO(T)-formatted research question

Identify sources of evidence that could be potentially effective in answering a PICO(T) question (databases, journals, websites, etc.).

Explain the findings from articles or other sources of evidence as it relates to the identified health care issue.

Explain the relevance of the findings from chosen sources of evidence to making decision related to a PICO(T) question.

Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling using the current APA style.

Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like:

Assessment 3 Example [PDF].

Additional Requirements

Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Length of submission: Create a 3-5-page submission focused on defining a research question and interpreting evidence relevant to answering it.

Number of references: Cite a minimum of four sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than 5 years old.

APA formatting: Format references and citations according to the current APA style.

Assessment 4: Remote Collaboration and Evidence-Based Care

Create a 5-10 minute video of yourself, as a presenter, in which you will propose an evidence-based plan to improve the outcomes for the Vila Health patient and examine how remote collaboration provided benefits or challenges to designing and delivering the care.

Introduction

As technologies and the health care industry continue to evolve, remote care, diagnosis, and collaboration are becoming increasingly more regular methods by which nurses are expected to work. Learning the ways in which evidence-based models and care can help remote work produce better outcomes will become critical for success. Additionally, understanding how to leverage EBP principles in collaboration will be important in the success of institutions delivering quality, safe, and cost-effective care. It could also lead to better job satisfaction for those engaging in remote collaboration.

Professional Context

Remote care and diagnosis is a continuing and increasingly important method for nurses to help deliver care to patients to promote safety and enhance health outcomes. Understanding best EBPs and building competence in delivering nursing care to remote patients is a key competency for all nurses. Additionally, in some scenarios, while you may be delivering care in person you may be collaborating with a physician or other team members who are remote. Understanding the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration is vital to developing effective communication strategies when coordinating care. So, being proficient at communicating and working with remote health care team members is also critical to delivering quality, evidence-base care.

Scenario

The Vila Health: Remote Collaboration on Evidence-Based Care simulation provide the context for this assessment.

Instructions

Before beginning this assessment, make sure you have worked through the following media:

Vila Health: Remote Collaboration on Evidence-Based Care. 

You may wish to review Selecting a model for evidence-based practice changes. [PDF] and Evidence-Based Practice Models, which help explain the various evidence-based nursing models.

For this assessment, you are a presenter! You will create a 5-10-minute video using Kaltura or similar software. In the video:

Propose your evidence-based care plan that you believe will improve the safety and outcomes of the patient in the Vila Health Remote Collaboration on Evidence-Based Care media scenario. Add your thoughts on what more could be done for the client and what more information may have been needed.

Discuss the ways in which an EBP model and relevant evidence helped you to develop and make decisions about the plan you proposed

Wrap up your video by identifying the benefits of the remote collaboration in the scenario, as well as discuss strategies you found in the literature or best practices that could help mitigate or overcome one or more of the collaboration challenges you observed in the scenario.

Be sure you mention any articles, authors, and other relevant sources of evidence that helped inform your video. Discuss why these sources of evidence are credible and relevant. Important: You are required to submit an APA-formatted reference list of the sources you cited specifically in your video or used to inform your presentation. You are required to submit a narrative of all your video content to this assessment and to SafeAssign.

The following media is an example learner submission in which the speaker successfully addresses all competencies in the assessment.

Exemplar Kaltura Reflection. 

Please note that the scenario that the speaker discusses in the exemplar is different from the Vila Health scenario you should be addressing in your video. So, the type of communication expected is being model, but the details related to the scenario in your submission will be different.

Make sure that your video addresses the following grading criteria:

Propose your own evidence-based care plan to improve the safety and outcomes for a patient based on the Vila Health Remote Collaboration on Evidence-Care media scenario.

Explain the ways in which you used an EBP model to help develop your plan of care for the client.

Reflect on which evidence you found in your search that was most relevant and useful when making decisions regarding your care plan.

Identify benefits and strategies to mitigate the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration to plan care within the context of a remote team.

Communicate in a professional manner that is easily audible and uses proper grammar, including a reference list formatted in current APA style.

Refer to Using Kaltura as needed to record and upload your video.

Note: If you require the use of assistive technology or alternative communication methods to participate in this activity, please contact DisabilityServices@Capella.edu to request accommodations. If, for some reason, you are unable to record a video, please contact your faculty member as soon as possible to explore options for completing the assessment.

Additional Requirements

Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

Length of video: 5-10 minutes.

References: Cite at least three professional or scholarly sources of evidence to support the assertions you make in your video. Include additional properly cited references as necessary to support your statements.

APA reference page: Submit a correctly formatted APA reference page that shows all the sources you used to create and deliver your video. Be sure to format the reference page according to current APA style. Submit a narrative of all of your video content.

Portfolio Prompt: Remember to save the final assessment to your ePortfolio so that you may refer to it as you complete the final capstone course.