Course Overview
Evidence-Based Practice integrates research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences to improve nursing care. This course teaches students to formulate PICOT questions, search electronic databases, critically appraise research evidence, understand levels of evidence, apply clinical guidelines, and implement quality improvement initiatives. Students learn research design fundamentals, ethical considerations (IRB review), and how to translate evidence into practice. The course emphasizes the nurse's role in generating and disseminating research to advance the profession.
Learning Objectives
- Develop PICOT questions to guide evidence-based clinical inquiry and literature searches
- Search and retrieve nursing and health science research from electronic databases
- Critically appraise research studies for validity, reliability, and applicability
- Understand research designs: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
- Interpret levels of evidence and synthesize findings into clinical recommendations
- Implement evidence-based practice changes and evaluate outcomes using quality improvement methodologies
Lecture Topics
- Week 1: Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing
- Week 1: Formulating Clinical Questions - PICOT Framework
- Week 2: Literature Search Strategies and Database Navigation
- Week 2: Overview of Research Designs - Quantitative and Qualitative
- Week 3: Critical Appraisal of Research Studies
- Week 3: Levels of Evidence and Hierarchy of Evidence
- Week 4: Research Ethics and Institutional Review Board (IRB) Process
- Week 5: Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis
- Week 5: Clinical Guidelines and Evidence Synthesis
- Week 6: Quality Improvement Methodologies - PDSA and Lean
- Week 7: Translating Evidence into Practice - Implementation Science
- Week 8: Presenting and Disseminating Research Findings
Course Quiz
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Flashcards
Resources
Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber)
Comprehensive guide to research designs, methods, and critical appraisal with nursing-focused examples.
RequiredCINAHL and PubMed Database Access
Full-text access to nursing research and biomedical literature for conducting evidence searches.
RequiredCASP Checklist Tools for Critical Appraisal
Critical appraisal assessment tools for different research designs and study types.
FreeThe Joanna Briggs Institute - Evidence Synthesis Resources
Guidelines for systematic reviews, evidence synthesis, and implementation science.
Free