clinical decision-making In Nursing
Healthcare professionals use evidence to support clinical decision-making, a process vital to high-quality patient care. Without peer-reviewed research, it would be nigh on impossible for nurses to make informed decisions about how best to proceed when treating an illness and setting out a comprehensive care plan.
Healthcare is defined by action. Nurses constantly need to make decisions quickly on the fly to improve the health of patients. Clinical decision-making enables nurses to work through daily problems and challenges to come to the correct outcome for a particular patient. Research here is weighed against a range of factors, such as the patient’s symptoms, beliefs, and environment, to ensure the right decision is made.
Much of the research nurses rely on when making important decisions is linked to the systematic process known as evidence-based practice (EBP). This process requires healthcare professionals to make decisions, set out care plans, and undertake different activities based on the best possible research and evidence.
Data shows that when nurses have the authority to use research to improve decisions, there flows a range of benefits for everyone involved. A patient’s condition is more likely to improve, which reduces the burden on the hospital – it also records better care metrics and reports lower risks as a result. Nurses benefit, too, as they feel more valued and are more fulfilled in their role.
Research is key here, as it allows nurses to make informed decisions rather than merely proceed with a subjective opinion, the latter of which is unlikely to have been critically examined or assessed. Nurses can often be swayed by unfounded beliefs or unconscious biases when they do not refer to actual evidence to support the decision-making processes.
This is important because good decisions based on research lead to safer care and better outcomes for the patient. On the other hand, poor decisions made without the correct information or knowledge of the situation at hand can be detrimental to patients, both in the short and long term. That is why there is such an emphasis on evidence-based practice in today’s healthcare industry.
Evidence-based approaches backed by research are one of the core components of clinical decision-making. Nurses and doctors will look at research and use skills such as critical thinking to examine assumptions and evaluate evidence. This evidence can come in many forms. Healthcare professionals will read online journals, reference materials, case studies, and whitepapers to gather research and utilize it as part of EBP.
There are four main sources of research or evidence that are used for evidence-based practice. The aforementioned research, which is usually peer-reviewed, is crucial, but nurses will also consider work-based research, feedback, and practitioner expertise.
Work-based research relates to first-party research undertaken in healthcare settings such as hospitals or clinics and involves trial-and-error testing. Feedback can also be considered alongside research from people within the organization, while practitioner experience can be used with evidence to make better decisions.
Nurses get better at using research over time as they gain more experience and awareness of the typical evidence-based outcomes for different situations. That does not mean experienced professionals do not rely on new evidence. On the contrary, nurses are always open-minded and quick to re-examine assumptions and take new evidence on board to make better decisions.
The research must also be weighed against other factors, such as the social, environmental, and cultural factors that make each patient unique. Not every study will be relevant for a specific patient or illness. It is up to nurses to carefully evaluate the research as part of evidence-based practice and draw their own conclusions. This is where critical thinking and problem-solving skills come in again.
Nurses also use research to improve their own information literacy and knowledge, which again is beneficial for patients who will benefit from better, higher-quality forms of care. Nurses must do more than read study results. They are expected to interpret and analyze data in ways that go beyond simple fact-checking. Nurses will have to critique the results and decide whether they should be implemented. This is a skill that, again, only serves to make clinical decisions more relevant and meaningful.
The best way to gain the skills to analyze and interpret data is by completing an online MSN Nurse Practitioner Program. If you are a registered nurse with an ADN or ASN, you can take your career to the next level by becoming a qualified nurse practitioner. You will then be able to use research to assess, treat and manage patient care and put a plan into action that will get them back to full health. You will also learn about ethical decision-making and how to become a leader in healthcare settings.
One of the benefits of studying for a BSN to NP online is that you can continue in your current role. That’s right, you will not have to disrupt your shifts and rotations in order to study, and you can do each course at a time that is right for you. This allows you to maintain an excellent work-life balance as you grow professionally, personally, and spiritually.
After you have graduated and become a nurse practitioner, you will be able to work in a range of different settings and roles. The boost in employability could see you take up a job in a physician’s office or private practice, for example. The average wage for nurse practitioners is above six figures, too, so you will be rewarded financially and professionally.
Nurse practitioners will often be tasked with using evidence-based practice to improve processes and patient care in the workplace. It is important, then, that you evaluate published research thoroughly to ensure its reliability and applicability for what you are trying to achieve. NPs evaluate research based on four key factors. These are:
- Validity
- Reliability
- Relevance
- Outcome
Not all research is legitimate, so you must decide whether the findings are accurate and valid. The research must also be reliable, meaning the correct methodologies have been used and the results are consistent. It must also be relevant. Does the research connect two different variables or occurrences logically? Finally, you should ensure you take the right knowledge away from the research. This requires you to outline the research conclusions and how they can be used to help patients.
Research must always be free of bias and reproducible under similar test settings to hold any weight in the healthcare industry. There are high standards in this area because previously published journals have been intellectually examined and commented on by other professionals. When evidence can potentially influence how nursing is practiced, it is vital that rigorous methods of analysis are implemented.
Research is also key to preventative healthcare measures, which can be transformative for broader society. The Affordable Care Act has focused hearts and minds on cost-effective methods to keep the many fit and healthy, not just the few who can afford expensive premiums. Evidence-based nursing allows nurses to educate people, especially communities, about diet and exercise best practices which can help to reduce long-term illnesses like diabetes.
Research also helps nurses improve patient outcomes when patients are first admitted to the hospital. Excellent decision-making here, supported by research, reduces the length of time patients stay on the ward. New research undertaken by nurses themselves has outlined ways to improve sleep patterns on wards so patients can get more restorative sleep which helps them to recover in a shorter time frame.
In terms of clinical decision-making, research helps nurses move from evaluating a patient to administering the right course of treatment. Nurses will have to determine the probabilities and gather data in the form of tests and vital signs to come up with a diagnosis. They can then use research to inform the type of intervention required. Nurses often gather additional data and evidence at this point and evaluate it to ensure that they are ready to cross the treatment “threshold”.
A shared perspective on research also helps every department in healthcare environments to coordinate care and make decisions that benefit patients. Leaders will be able to rely on the knowledge and experience of staff, supported by research, to make excellent operational decisions, which, again, is beneficial for everyone. This is key to clinical decision-making, too, as it reduces silos and ensures everyone is essentially signing from the same hymn sheet as they move seamlessly through different transition points.
Evidence-based practice allows patients to be handed off at different points without a reduction in the quality of care. This is vital for the smooth running of departments and ensuring the patient gets the best care from diagnosis to treatment to discharge. Research is crucial, and nurses are at the vanguard of using evidence to inform the right decisions and transform patient outcomes in today’s data-driven healthcare industry.
