NURS 450: Best Practices in Nursing and Nursing Education: Home

From The Cochrane Library

This guide is created primarily for NURS 450: Best Practice course taught by Dr. Kaynabess Freda and Dr. Teena Miligan.

• Difference between  Evidence Based Medicine and Evidence Based Nursing?

The following information is based on quotes from experts in the field.

"Evidence based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research."

(Sackett et al. BMJ 1996;312:71-72 (13 January))

"The terms “evidence-based practice” and “evidence-based health care (EBHC)” are used more universally, though “evidence-based nursing” and “evidence-based medicine” are also used. All four terms refer to Sackett et al.’s (2002) definition...

The goal of evidence-based nursing is to provide practicing nurses with evidence-based data to deliver effective care based on the best research; resolve problems in the clinical setting; achieve excellence in care delivery, even exceeding quality assurance standards; and to introduce innovation (Grinspun, Virani & Bajnok, 2001/2002). Evidence-based nursing also reduces the variations in nursing care and assists with efficient and effective decision-making."

(Spector, N. Evidence-Based Health Care in Nursing Regulation, NCSBN)

"An ongoing process by which evidence, nursing theory and the practitioners’ clinical expertise are critically evaluated and considered, in conjunction with patient involvement, to provide delivery of optimum nursing care for the individual."

Scott, K. & McSherry, R. "Evidence Based Nursing: clarifying the concepts for nurses in practice." Journal of Clinical Nursing 2009; 18(8): 1085-95.