According to Sendelbach’s article, “Evidence-Based Practice: Then and Now” nurses ought to stay current regarding new evidence-based practice findings regarding their area of practice. As a nurse, it is a personal responsibility to ensure that the services he/she is providing and implementing are the most beneficial to the patient. Evidence-based practice helps nurses stay current regarding both new research results and the effectiveness of their services.

When it comes to evidence-based practice, there are a few factors that must be taken into consideration. The first being that evidence-based practice is not just about what the best clinical practice is; it involves resources, economics, philosophy, politics and ethical issues that must be considered as well. Nurses need to understand that these factors and more contribute to how decisions are made within an organization or institution (Sendelbach, 2008). The benefit of evidence-based practice is that it provides nurses with a concrete way to measure how their services are performing and how the outcome or level of care can be improved.

The second point that Sendelbach makes is the concept of “staying current”. It is a term used when referring to health care professionals. She describes staying current as: “being up-to-date in one’s field, being aware of the latest findings and trends, keeping abreast of all research results from one’s specialty through attending meetings, reading journals and books, consulting experts on hospital websites”. The means by which nurses stay current is different for each nurse and depends on his/her particular education level. The author states that, “We need to find ways to get such information into practicing clinicians in the best, most timely manner, so that no patient has to wait a decade or longer for the best evidence-based care” (Sendelbach, 2008).

Reference

Sendelbach, S. E. (2008). Evidence-based practice: Then and now. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 108(10), 75-76.