Review and reflect on the knowledge that you have gained from this course. Based on your review and reflection, write at least 3 paragraphs on the following:
What were the most compelling evidence-based practice (EBP) topics that you learned in this course?
How did participating in discussions help you understand the subject matter? Is anything still unclear that could be clarified?
How did this course build upon your prior EBP knowledge from your prelicensure program?
What approaches could have yielded additional valuable information?
How will your new EBP knowledge change your future nursing practice?
Nursing students need to learn detailed information regarding evidence-based practice (EBP) as they progress from one academic level to another. I gained additional knowledge regarding EBP during the course. The most compelling EBP topic learned during the course relates to the effectiveness of an Operating Room (OR) Black Box in promoting patient safety in the operating room. Due to its ability to identify factors that might undermine patient safety in the operating room, the OR Black Box is a useful tool for preventing medical errors and adverse events among patients undergoing an operation (Nensi et al., 2021). Participating in discussions helped me greatly to understand the subject matter. By working together in groups, I was able to understand most of the issues that I did not effectively understand previously. I must state that most of the concepts concerning EBP are now clear to me. I believe that I will be able to learn more about the topic as I continue to engage in additional discussions with my colleagues.
The course has built upon my prior EBP knowledge from my prelicensure program. Before completing the course, I was aware that nurses should utilize clinical practice interventions that are informed by research-based evidence. However, I had a limited understanding of the EBP process which I am now conversant with. I have learned that the EBP process entails the identification of a practice problem, the development of a practice question, analysis of published research to gather evidence, the identification of the best practice, and translating evidence into practice. I can achieve this by following a number of models such as the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model (Dang et al., 2022).
I believe that using more specific search terms could have yielded additional valuable information. For instance, concentrating on the ‘OR Black Box’ alone as the primary search term in the phrases used could have generated articles specifically linking the tool to patient safety in the operating room. I must state that my new EBP knowledge will change my future nursing practice by enabling me to look for quality evidence to inform changes in clinical practice.
References
Dang, D., Dearholt, S., Bissett, K., Ascenzi, J., & Whalen, M. (2022). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice for nurses and healthcare professionals: Model and guidelines. 4th ed. Sigma Theta Tau International.
Nensi, A., Palter, V., Reed, C., Schulthess, P., Mcloone, M., Grantcharov, T., & Shore, E. M. (2021). Utilizing the Operating Room Black Box to characterize intraoperative delays, distractions, and threats in the gynecology operating room: a pilot study. Cureus, 13(7), e16218. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.16218