EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE IN NURSING
& HEALTHCARE
A GUIDE TO BEST PRACTICE
5TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)BERNADETTE MAZUREK
MELNYK; ELLEN FINEOUT-OVERHOLT
TEST BANK
1) Reference
Ch. 1 — Making the Case for Evidence-Based Practice — The
Need to Change a Routine
Stem
A medical-surgical unit continues to use a preprinted admission
bundle that includes a routine daily lab panel for every patient,
even though several patients have had delayed discharge and
unnecessary venipunctures. A new nurse questions the practice
,and asks whether the bundle is still justified. The nurse
manager wants a response that reflects evidence-based
practice rather than habit or opinion.
Options
A. Continue the bundle because it has been used for years and
is familiar to staff.
B. Remove the lab panel immediately without reviewing any
outcomes or evidence.
C. Examine the current evidence, compare it with local
outcomes, and determine whether the routine still improves
care.
D. Wait until a physician requests a change before reconsidering
the bundle.
Correct Answer
C
Rationales
Correct Answer (C): EBP begins when clinicians question
whether current practice still produces the best outcomes. The
strongest response is to compare the practice with current
evidence and local data, then decide whether change is
warranted. That approach reflects inquiry, not tradition.
A: Longevity does not establish effectiveness. A practice can
persist simply because it is familiar or easy to implement.
B: Immediate removal without evidence review can create
unintended harm and ignores the EBP process.
, D: Evidence-based change should not depend solely on
physician initiation; nurses are expected to question and
improve care.
Teaching Point
Tradition is not evidence; first ask whether the practice still
improves outcomes.
Citation
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2023). Evidence-Based
Practice in Nursing & Healthcare (5th ed.). Ch. 1.
2) Reference
Ch. 1 — Spirit of Inquiry — Recognizing a Practice Gap
Stem
During handoff, an experienced nurse says, “We have always
turned patients every two hours, but our pressure injury rate
has not changed much.” A graduate nurse wonders whether the
unit should continue the same turning schedule for every
patient. The charge nurse wants to know what this curiosity
represents in an EBP context.
Options
A. A complaint about workflow efficiency only
B. A spirit of inquiry that can lead to an EBP question
C. A completed quality improvement project
D. A randomized controlled trial result
, Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct Answer (B): A spirit of inquiry is the habit of
questioning current practice and asking whether there is a
better way to improve outcomes. It is the starting point for EBP
because it transforms uncertainty into an answerable clinical
question.
A: The concern is broader than workflow; it is about
whether the practice is effective.
C: A question is not yet a QI project; data collection and
testing have not occurred.
D: The nurse’s observation is not research evidence; it is a
prompt to seek evidence.
Teaching Point
Inquiry begins when staff question whether a routine truly
improves patient outcomes.
Citation
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2023). Evidence-Based
Practice in Nursing & Healthcare (5th ed.). Ch. 1.
3) Reference
Ch. 1 — Making the Case for EBP — Best Available Evidence
& HEALTHCARE
A GUIDE TO BEST PRACTICE
5TH EDITION
• AUTHOR(S)BERNADETTE MAZUREK
MELNYK; ELLEN FINEOUT-OVERHOLT
TEST BANK
1) Reference
Ch. 1 — Making the Case for Evidence-Based Practice — The
Need to Change a Routine
Stem
A medical-surgical unit continues to use a preprinted admission
bundle that includes a routine daily lab panel for every patient,
even though several patients have had delayed discharge and
unnecessary venipunctures. A new nurse questions the practice
,and asks whether the bundle is still justified. The nurse
manager wants a response that reflects evidence-based
practice rather than habit or opinion.
Options
A. Continue the bundle because it has been used for years and
is familiar to staff.
B. Remove the lab panel immediately without reviewing any
outcomes or evidence.
C. Examine the current evidence, compare it with local
outcomes, and determine whether the routine still improves
care.
D. Wait until a physician requests a change before reconsidering
the bundle.
Correct Answer
C
Rationales
Correct Answer (C): EBP begins when clinicians question
whether current practice still produces the best outcomes. The
strongest response is to compare the practice with current
evidence and local data, then decide whether change is
warranted. That approach reflects inquiry, not tradition.
A: Longevity does not establish effectiveness. A practice can
persist simply because it is familiar or easy to implement.
B: Immediate removal without evidence review can create
unintended harm and ignores the EBP process.
, D: Evidence-based change should not depend solely on
physician initiation; nurses are expected to question and
improve care.
Teaching Point
Tradition is not evidence; first ask whether the practice still
improves outcomes.
Citation
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2023). Evidence-Based
Practice in Nursing & Healthcare (5th ed.). Ch. 1.
2) Reference
Ch. 1 — Spirit of Inquiry — Recognizing a Practice Gap
Stem
During handoff, an experienced nurse says, “We have always
turned patients every two hours, but our pressure injury rate
has not changed much.” A graduate nurse wonders whether the
unit should continue the same turning schedule for every
patient. The charge nurse wants to know what this curiosity
represents in an EBP context.
Options
A. A complaint about workflow efficiency only
B. A spirit of inquiry that can lead to an EBP question
C. A completed quality improvement project
D. A randomized controlled trial result
, Correct Answer
B
Rationales
Correct Answer (B): A spirit of inquiry is the habit of
questioning current practice and asking whether there is a
better way to improve outcomes. It is the starting point for EBP
because it transforms uncertainty into an answerable clinical
question.
A: The concern is broader than workflow; it is about
whether the practice is effective.
C: A question is not yet a QI project; data collection and
testing have not occurred.
D: The nurse’s observation is not research evidence; it is a
prompt to seek evidence.
Teaching Point
Inquiry begins when staff question whether a routine truly
improves patient outcomes.
Citation
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2023). Evidence-Based
Practice in Nursing & Healthcare (5th ed.). Ch. 1.
3) Reference
Ch. 1 — Making the Case for EBP — Best Available Evidence
