Reply to each post:

Post#1- Joseph 

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is of significant importance in healthcare for several reasons since EBP involves integrating the best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values to make informed healthcare decisions. By utilizing reliable evidence, healthcare professionals can provide interventions and treatments that have been shown to be effective, resulting in improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. EBP promotes the use of interventions and practices that have been rigorously tested and proven to be safe and effective. By relying on evidence, healthcare providers can minimize errors, reduce variations in practice, and enhance the overall quality and safety of patient care. EBP helps optimize the allocation of healthcare resources by focusing on interventions that have been demonstrated to be cost-effective and efficient. By utilizing evidence-based guidelines, healthcare organizations can avoid unnecessary procedures or treatments, reducing healthcare costs while maintaining quality care. Reliable evidence-based sources are crucial for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions. Some of the most commonly recognized and reliable sources are comprehensive studies that synthesize and summarize existing research on a specific topic. They provide an overview of the available evidence and often offer more robust conclusions than individual studies. Clinical practice guidelines are evidence-based recommendations developed by expert panels or professional organizations. They provide standardized guidance for specific healthcare conditions or interventions, based on a thorough review of the literature. These are important for healthcare professionals to critically evaluate the sources they use and consider factors such as study design, sample size, methodology, and potential conflicts of interest. Collaborating with colleagues, engaging in continuous professional development, and staying updated with the latest research and guidelines are essential for accessing reliable evidence-based sources.

Post #2- Juan 

The significance of evidence-based healthcare is how we apply the knowledge received from multiple research studies to continue to prove hypotheses then theories to help guide our practice. This shift to practicing evidence-based nursing (EBN) ensures that nursing practice is guided by the best methods backed by experimental studies in specific settings, populations, or scenarios (Tappen, 2016). Rather than basing practice on intuition or anecdotal experience, the way we practice is based on the findings of multiple experiments done to practice the best way (Tappen, 2016). An example of this is how we have developed algorithms for Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support and how it continuously updates every few years to reflect best practices.

The most reliable evidence-based sources should be controlled trials or cohort studies that involve clear sampling parameters, good validity through study design, consistency, and directness of the intervention to the outcome (Tappen, 2016). By ensuring the study is fundamentally sound and reviewed by a journal that places the study under scrutiny, the study can be deemed reliable.

PART 2 

POST#1- Brian 

Although it can be a time-consuming process in making sure all the fine details are properly worked out, a research proposal seems to be a very feasible task in my future career after familiarizing myself with what it entails. The process of formulating a research proposal is relatively straightforward once a topic has been selected. This of course would still take a considerable amount of time to properly setup, however, it is a doable task with a solid understanding of the research process as we have learned in this course.

             Possibly the most challenging portions of a research proposal are to first find a topic that could bear further investigation, then determine the correct structure the research will take. This can vary widely, for instance, my proposal relied on regression analysis to investigate a relationship between my variables while also controlling for other demographic factors. This structure (if carried out properly) should reveal whether there was a correlation between my variables which included the implementation of nurse-led care transition teams, hospital readmission rates, patient demographics, and traditional transitional care approaches. The actual process of determining this relationship also seemed to be challenging as it involved statistical analysis with power calculations. However, given enough time and practice I believe this process would become easier.

Post#2- Katrina

Hi Professor and class,

Now that I have submitted my research proposal, I am now preparing to make my research proposal presentation. I am confident about presenting my research proposal more than before. I may not be 100% with my confidence, but I am one more step closer to having the tools and confidence to make and present more research studies in the future. I have written a few research papers, but with what I have learned this term, it is more intense and professional. I did have a hard time choosing the topic to research and making sure that I came up with the appropriate research question. There would be moments when I would stop and stare at a blank page, thinking of what to write and how to write it. Writing ten to fifteen pages of research proposal is not easy. Questions I may have in conducting research in nursing would be, what are the parameters needed to ensure that the topic chosen is appropriate for nursing? What are other tools that can be used when preparing a research proposal? Just one of the few questions I still have about conducting research in nursing. One of my primary concerns with research would be obtaining the appropriate population for the study and getting them to consent to participate. However, due diligence and proper approval, and taking the correct steps and approach to the study would lead to a successful research proposal.