CHAPTER 1 – PRACTICING THE SCIENCE AND ART OF PSYCHIATRIC NURSING
Science of nursing involves finding the evidence for practice
Art of nursing is developing the skills for practice
Evidence based practice
Evidence based practice = research + clinical knowledge and judgment + patient preferences (in
nursing)
Decade of the brain – 1990’s
Multistep process of integrating
i. Ask – identify a problem
ii. Acquire – search literature
iii. Appraise – evaluate and synthesize research evidence
iv. Apply – the evidence
v. Assess – the performance
Resources for clinical practice
a. Internet resources – Cumulative index to nursing and allied health literature, PubMed
b. Clinical practice guidelines – systematically developed statements based on literature
review
c. Clinical algorithms – step by step guidelines in a flowchart to describe alternative
diagnostic and treatment approaches (best for deciding which meds to use)
d. Clinical/ critical pathways – map for specified treatments specific to institutions.
Three dilemmas nurses face when attempting EBP
- Relies on a high level of scientific thought
- May not be sufficient
- Therapeutic use of self
Research practice gap
There is a wide gap between best evidence treatments and their effective translation into practice
Need continued research on how to best apply the findings of clinically relevant issues
Science of nursing involves finding the evidence for practice
Art of nursing is developing the skills for practice
Evidence based practice
Evidence based practice = research + clinical knowledge and judgment + patient preferences (in
nursing)
Decade of the brain – 1990’s
Multistep process of integrating
i. Ask – identify a problem
ii. Acquire – search literature
iii. Appraise – evaluate and synthesize research evidence
iv. Apply – the evidence
v. Assess – the performance
Resources for clinical practice
a. Internet resources – Cumulative index to nursing and allied health literature, PubMed
b. Clinical practice guidelines – systematically developed statements based on literature
review
c. Clinical algorithms – step by step guidelines in a flowchart to describe alternative
diagnostic and treatment approaches (best for deciding which meds to use)
d. Clinical/ critical pathways – map for specified treatments specific to institutions.
Three dilemmas nurses face when attempting EBP
- Relies on a high level of scientific thought
- May not be sufficient
- Therapeutic use of self
Research practice gap
There is a wide gap between best evidence treatments and their effective translation into practice
Need continued research on how to best apply the findings of clinically relevant issues
