Research and Evidence Based Practice: What's the best fit for our Organization?

Purpose:
The purpose of this quality improvement project was to develop a process that would allow for the best use of limited resources to improve our nursing research and use of evidenced based practice.

Significance:
There are copious amounts of literature and evidence that medical personal are overwhelmed with each day. There needs to be a systematic way to guide nurses to utilize the best evidence and literature to develop practice change or develop research projects.

Strategy and Implementation:
There is a limited amount of time and resources that can be utilized for research within nursing in our organization. The Nursing Research Council was developed to oversee nursing research and evidenced based practice changes. The infrastructure of the council is made up of representation from all nursing units and areas that nurses are employed in. These representatives are able to bring information from their areas to the council meetings and take information back. Discussion of appropriate actions and responses can then be made. All nursing research that is done passes through the research council prior to the institutional review board (IRB) approval. Once research has been completed, the council uses the appropriate transfer of knowledge to other councils to influence policy changes. Additionally, evidence based changes are reviewed during the council meetings, with guidance for policy or practice change.

Evaluation:
The Nursing Research Council evaluates the research that has been completed. Council members and research investigators report results to the appropriate shared governance councils to change practice and policies based on findings from research and evidence based literature searches.

Implications for Practice:
Through guidance and support of the council, the nurses have been successful in changing policies and practice in our organization. Standardization of work has been a positive change for nurses.