The Role of Evidence-Based Practice and Critical Thinking in Nursing
The primary goal in healthcare is to provide value-based services alongside offering an optimum patient experience. Evidence-based practice and critical thinking are vital aspects of nursing, and they should be assimilated to enhance patient outcomes. Critical thinking is a discipline that involves analyzing, applying, and evaluating information to provide better care services (Minority Nurse, 2017). It is a logical process that focusses on intellectually conceptualizing a problem and finding the optimum solution. On the other hand, evidence-based practice is a problem-solving strategy applied in nursing that integrates evidence and results from credible research studies, patient preferences, and clinicians’ expertise into a professional’s decision-making process to guarantee better outcomes (Black et al., 2015). It is essential to align critical thinking and evidence-based practice with nursing objectives to provide better patient outcomes.
Critical analysis is a primary critical thinking skill that involves understanding a patient’s condition and need. Once a nurse understands the root problem, they should study relevant information and align their findings with the expected health outcome (Papathanasiou et al., 2014). Lastly, the nurse should independently integrate the results to develop a decision on how to help the patient best regardless of panic-based situations or personal beliefs (Papathanasiou et al., 2014). Overall, critical thinking improves the decision-making process aimed at acquiring the most robust patient outcomes.
Nurses who apply critical thinking skills can perform intervention measures accordingly. For instance, when a patient is in critical condition, and traditional methods of care prove inefficient, a nurse must be creative and find an effective solution by generating new ideas. Critical thinking improves care giver’s confidence, which enables them to act independently when the situation demands (Papathanasiou et al., 2014). Consequently, analyzing situations critically improves the process of creating original solutions to issues that can be applied later to solve similar problems. Overall, critical thinking enhances creativity and flexibility in nursing, which helps to make better decisions regarding a patient’s health.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is essential in healthcare, as it improves quality services and patient-centered care. First, when nurses incorporate updated healthcare research in their patient interactions, it helps to reduce complications and medical errors, which in turn prevents the reoccurrence of illness (Mississippi College, 2017). Secondly, using EBP continually minimizes the cost of care, especially for chronically ill patients, because it enhances a patient-centered approach that focusses on eliminating unnecessary expenses. Moreover, when EBP is integrated into nursing education and practice, it establishes critical thinking skills, which in turn improve the decision-making process (Black et al., 2015). In summary, EBP utilizes current information that nurses can use to adapt to changing environments and patient situations with significant confidence and pride.
Nurses must incorporate evidence-based practice and critical thinking skills in healthcare to enable better patient outcomes. Critical thinking helps one to combine creativity and logical analysis, especially when emergency intervention measures arise. The critical analysis makes the process of decision-making more effective within a patient-centered approach. Consequently, evidence-based practice complements critical thinking skills by helping nurses to develop original solutions to issues arising in healthcare. Overall, EBP and critical thinking skills improve a nurse’s ability to handle patients, which creates confidence and pride in clinical practice.