Running head: THE VALUE OF NURSING RESEARCH 1

The Value of Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice

Lyubov Kirillov

Frostburg State University

THE VALUE OF NURSING RESEARCH 2

The Value of Nursing Research and Evidence Based Practice

A nurse has many responsibilities and many elements fall under the nurses scope of

practice. One of the nurses responsibilities is to perform or review research to change an institu-

tions policy or to improve the outcome of patients care. The Essential III obtained from Ameri-

can Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2008) describes nursing research as Profes-

sional nursing practice is grounded in the translation of current evidence into practice. Scholar-

ship for the baccalaureate graduate involves identification of practice issues appraisal and inte-

gration of evidence and evaluation of outcomes. (AACN, 2008, p. 15). Before writing recom-

mendations to change a policy or a treatment outcome a nurse must diligently review literature of

other studies to evaluate and appraise the validity and the strength of the study.

Exemplar

Before a nurse can integrate the research into practice he or she must know how to ap-

praise studies by looking into its validity and reliability. It is important for a nurse to recognize

the bias in a study to make a correct appraisal. To better understand what validity is Schmidt &

Brown (2015) explain study validity refers to the ability to accept results as logical, reasonable,

and justifiable based on the evidence presented. Validity is sometimes described as the truth or

accuracy of the results. (Schmidt & Brown, 2015, p. 159). In the article, Peripheral IV Site Ro-

tation Based on Clinical Assessment vs. Length of Time Since Insertion, the results of the study

concluded that almost all of the patients in the study did not need the routine IV site rotation. The

studied institutions policy required an IV site rotation every 96 hours to prevent phlebitis or in-

filtration, but by doing the research the nurses involved in the study proved otherwise. The re-

sults of this study appeared to be logical, reasonable and justifiable therefore, this study presents

to be valid.
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Reflection

One of the elements of the Essential III describes what a professional nurse should do to

conduct or review the research Demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of the re-

search process and models for applying evidence to clinical practice. (AACN, 16). In the study

mentioned in the exemplar the participating nurses were encouraged to use their clinical judg-

ment to change the IV site. The research process in this study benefitted the patients studied by

applying evidence into clinical practice. The longest time the IV site remained free of phlebitis

and infiltration was 15 days which is 11 days longer than the studied institutions policy required

rotation of the peripheral IV site. The participating nurses advocated for their patients to avoid

getting stuck unnecessarily if there were no clinical indication for it and were able to change

their institutions policy.

Another element of the Essential III suggests that a nurse should Participate in the pro-

cess of retrieval, appraisal, and synthesis of evidence in collaboration with other members of

the healthcare team to improve patient outcomes. (AACN, 16). In other words, a competent

nurse should utilize his or her knowledge in a professional manner in performing research or col-

lecting data. There are several ways of collecting the data, but in the study mentioned in the ex-

emplar, the data collection was as follows All nurses who participated in data collection com-

pleted the human subjects training. Study nurses asked the charge nurse for a list of patients who

qualified for the study by having a peripheral IV site for 72 and/or 96 hours. They approached

potential study participants personally to explain the study. If the patient agreed to participate, an

informed consent was signed. (Helton, Hines and Best, 2016, p. 46, para. 8).

Evidence based practice should be established on valid and reliable research. By review-

ing the literature of several studies a nurse can find reliable recommendations to improve patient
THE VALUE OF NURSING RESEARCH 4

outcome. Change comes difficult to most people and by providing valid research a nurse can ini-

tiate change and make a difference that will benefit patients. By applying knowledge and skill a

nurses practice will emphasize the value of research and evidence.

THE VALUE OF NURSING RESEARCH 5

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate edu-

cation for professional nursing practice. Washington, DC: American Association of

Colleges of Nursing.

Helton, J., Hines, A., & Best, J. (2016). Peripheral IV site rotation based on clinical

assessment vs. length of time since insertion. MedSurg Nursing, 2(1), 44-49. Retrieved

from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-fs.researchport.umd.edu/eds/pdfviewer/

pdfviewer?vid=25&sid=0390abdf-

dae5-41d9-9400-5b621ae2fc0b@sessionmgr115&hid=126

Schmidt, N., & Brown, J. (2015). Evidence-based practice for nurses (3rd ed.). Burlington,

MA: Jones & Barlett Learning.