Week 10: Components of Evidence-Based Practice: Grading the Evidence
What grade would you require of evidence to justify a practice change? Must it be an A or a solid 100? Would B+ or, say, 90, be enough? How would you attach a grading equivalent to the evidence you have appraised?
This final component of evidence-based practice does not require literally assigning a grade. However, it does involve evaluating what level of evidence in quantity and quality can justify a particular practice change, and the time, effort, and expense of a quality improvement initiative. Each situation and grading scale may be different depending on the specific practice problem, the potential outcomes, the urgency of the problem, and the attitudes—encouraging or uncompromising—of the stakeholders.
This week you complete this module with a critical assessment of the evidence from your literature review. Both in your Discussion with colleagues and your module Assignment, the strength and substance of what links your practice problem, evidence to address it, and the need for a practice change initiative, will be yours to explain and grade.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Evaluate scholarly articles for a literature review
- Analyze scholarly literature for evidence
- Evaluate quality of evidence to inform practice change
- Synthesize research to support nursing practice problems
- Synthesize evidence to inform practice change
- Justify quality improvement/practice change initiatives
Learning Resources
Required Readings (click to expand/reduce)
Optional Resources (click to expand/reduce)
Discussion: Clarifying Connections: Practice Problem, Evidence, Changing Practice
- Your literature review should be completed at this point in the module. Working from that assumption, you will use this Discussion to share your preliminary outcomes and analysis from your literature review with colleagues for their comment. You may choose to incorporate feedback from peers before submitting your Module Assignment on Day 7, although that is not required. The aim of this Discussion is to support you in providing the kind of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of evidence to a group that would be involved in presenting a quality improvement initiative to stakeholders.
To prepare:
- Review the Module 4 Learning Resources with guidance for analyzing and synthesizing evidence from your literature review.
- Complete your analysis of outcomes and synthesis of evidence to inform a practice change.
- Consider the linkage between your practice problem, evidence to address it, and the need for a practice change initiative.
- Assess the strength of this linkage and how to present it to colleagues.
With these thoughts in mind …
By Day 3 of Week 10
Post an explanation of the results of your literature review and the connection to your practice problem. Then, explain your synthesis of evidence on which to base a practice change, and the need for a practice change initiative. Be specific and provide examples.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.
By Day 6 of Week 10
Respond to at least two colleagues on 2 different days with questions to clarify or suggestions to sharpen or finesse their explanation of their problem-evidence-change initiative linkage.
Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
