Evidence-Based Practice Application: A Goal for Anaesthetic and Recovery Nurses

Abstract

AbstractHistorically speaking, nursing actions were often based on opinions or habits with very little scientific evidence available to guide practice. The nursing process has been widely employed in basic nursing education programmes for several decades. The subsequent addition of the critical thinking component has enabled the practitioner to apply reasoning and formulate appropriate judgments about his/her patient's needs. Although many nurses lack formal education in research and evidence-based practice (EBP), frontline practitioners occupy a perfect position to stimulate and impact adoption of EBP in practice. Incorporation of EBP education and guided instruction in the EBP process for anaesthetic and recovery nurses can only serve to sustain its primary goal of combining the best available evidence with skilled professional opinion to achieve safe and sound practice at the bedside.