Approx 150-180 words APA format with references and in-text citations response to the discussion below.
The term “Evidence-Based Practice” (EBP) was fairly new when I was entering nursing school in 1999.
Although it made sense that nursing practice was based on academic research and findings, many nurses have passed down traditions simply based on the notion that “it has always been done this way”. I can remember this new term, and the exciting thought that nursing would be more valued and respected with a greater emphasis on practice based in facts and best outcomes. I became an RN in 2004, and I have worked in the psychiatric field for the majority of my career. The American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) was my chosen healthcare organization website. This can be found at https://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1 . Although I was already somewhat familiar with what the website had to offer, I gained a greater understanding and admiration for this site as I dug a little deeper.
The Institute of Medicine’s Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine put an emphasis on three major areas: a learning healthcare system, generating evidence to support effective healthcare strategies, and improving public awareness regarding the importance of EBP in healthcare (Melnyk, & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). The APNA website contributes to the IOM’s goal of improving public awareness related to EBP. This is evident in the numerous resources on the website from academic journals, continuing education (conferences and CEU’S), standards of practice updates, and also the ability to find information about academic programs and scholarships. The Journal of the American Psychiatric Nursing Association is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research, practice-focused articles, editorials, and interviews. One tab entitled “Reports & Surveys” shares the latest national reports and surveys covering topics related to the future of nursing and nurses' health.
Although the website is not entirely based in EBP (some tabs are related to the organization and membership) it is clear that its goal is to promote the understanding of psychiatric nursing through the recent solid research. One item available for free via ebook to members (and for sale to non-members) is “Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice”. This spells out important aspects of psychiatric-mental health nursing- the who, what, when, where, and how of practice- at various levels and in multiple settings. The latest edition was published with the input and expertise of psychiatric nurses from the APNA and the International Society of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurses (ISPN). Goals established prior to the easy access of the internet are able to be met not only through scholarly articles, but with new styles of sharing information and with a culture of networking to filter out the most relevant, and timely information.
Crabtree, E., Brennan, E., Davis, A., & Coyle, A. (2016). Improving patient care through nursing engagement in evidence-based practice. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 13(2), 172–175. doi:10.1111/wvn.12126
https://www.apna.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice and Research [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2018). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
