Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses (5th Edition) Schmidt
& Brown Test Bank: Chapters 1–19 Q&A Study Guide
2026-2027
Section 1: Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice (Chapters 1–3)
1. According to the original definition by Sackett et al., what are the three core
components of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)?
A) Research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences
B) Tradition, intuition, and clinical expertise
C) Research, institutional policies, and physician orders
D) Clinical expertise, patient preferences, and cost-containment
ANSWERS> A - EBP integrates the best current research evidence with the nurse's
clinical expertise and the patient's individual values and preferences.
2. Which of the following is an example of relying on "tradition" rather than EBP in
nursing practice?
A) Changing a wound-care protocol after reading a new peer-reviewed study.
B) Continuing to instill normal saline into endotracheal tubes before suctioning
because "that is how it has always been done."
C) Asking the patient which pain medication they prefer.
D) Reviewing unit infection rates before changing central line dressing protocols.
ANSWERS> B - Tradition involves continuing practices simply because they have
always been done that way, even when research disproves them (e.g., normal
saline instillation is no longer recommended).
3. What is the primary purpose of formulating a PICOT question in EBP?
,A) To identify the financial cost of a proposed practice change
B) To guide an efficient and focused literature search
C) To obtain informed consent from the patient
D) To determine the statistical significance of a study
ANSWERS> B - PICOT (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time)
helps narrow down a broad clinical problem into a specific, searchable question.
4. In the PICOT format, what does the "C" represent?
A) Context
B) Clinical expertise
C) Comparison
D) Causation
ANSWERS> C - The "C" stands for Comparison (e.g., comparing a new intervention
to standard care or a placebo).
5. A nurse wants to know if turning patients every two hours versus every four
hours reduces pressure ulcer incidence. Which type of PICOT question is this?
A) Diagnosis
B) Etiology/Harm
C) Prognosis
D) Therapy/Treatment
ANSWERS> D - Questions about the effectiveness of an intervention (turning
schedule) to improve an outcome (reducing pressure ulcers) are
Therapy/Treatment questions.
, 6. Which database is considered the primary source for nursing and allied health
literature?
A) PubMed
B) Cochrane Library
C) CINAHL
D) MEDLINE
ANSWERS> C - CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
is the most comprehensive database specifically for nursing research.
7. When searching databases, what is the purpose of using Boolean operators like
"AND" or "OR"?
A) To translate the article into English
B) To broaden or narrow the search results
C) To find the full-text PDFs
D) To format the APA citation
ANSWERS> B - "AND" narrows the search by requiring all terms to be present,
while "OR" broadens it by allowing any of the terms to be present.
Section 2: Research Process & Ethics (Chapters 4–6)
8. Which type of research focuses on describing variables without manipulating
them, often using surveys or observational methods?
A) Experimental
B) Quasi-experimental
C) Descriptive (Non-experimental)
D) Qualitative
& Brown Test Bank: Chapters 1–19 Q&A Study Guide
2026-2027
Section 1: Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice (Chapters 1–3)
1. According to the original definition by Sackett et al., what are the three core
components of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)?
A) Research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences
B) Tradition, intuition, and clinical expertise
C) Research, institutional policies, and physician orders
D) Clinical expertise, patient preferences, and cost-containment
ANSWERS> A - EBP integrates the best current research evidence with the nurse's
clinical expertise and the patient's individual values and preferences.
2. Which of the following is an example of relying on "tradition" rather than EBP in
nursing practice?
A) Changing a wound-care protocol after reading a new peer-reviewed study.
B) Continuing to instill normal saline into endotracheal tubes before suctioning
because "that is how it has always been done."
C) Asking the patient which pain medication they prefer.
D) Reviewing unit infection rates before changing central line dressing protocols.
ANSWERS> B - Tradition involves continuing practices simply because they have
always been done that way, even when research disproves them (e.g., normal
saline instillation is no longer recommended).
3. What is the primary purpose of formulating a PICOT question in EBP?
,A) To identify the financial cost of a proposed practice change
B) To guide an efficient and focused literature search
C) To obtain informed consent from the patient
D) To determine the statistical significance of a study
ANSWERS> B - PICOT (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time)
helps narrow down a broad clinical problem into a specific, searchable question.
4. In the PICOT format, what does the "C" represent?
A) Context
B) Clinical expertise
C) Comparison
D) Causation
ANSWERS> C - The "C" stands for Comparison (e.g., comparing a new intervention
to standard care or a placebo).
5. A nurse wants to know if turning patients every two hours versus every four
hours reduces pressure ulcer incidence. Which type of PICOT question is this?
A) Diagnosis
B) Etiology/Harm
C) Prognosis
D) Therapy/Treatment
ANSWERS> D - Questions about the effectiveness of an intervention (turning
schedule) to improve an outcome (reducing pressure ulcers) are
Therapy/Treatment questions.
, 6. Which database is considered the primary source for nursing and allied health
literature?
A) PubMed
B) Cochrane Library
C) CINAHL
D) MEDLINE
ANSWERS> C - CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
is the most comprehensive database specifically for nursing research.
7. When searching databases, what is the purpose of using Boolean operators like
"AND" or "OR"?
A) To translate the article into English
B) To broaden or narrow the search results
C) To find the full-text PDFs
D) To format the APA citation
ANSWERS> B - "AND" narrows the search by requiring all terms to be present,
while "OR" broadens it by allowing any of the terms to be present.
Section 2: Research Process & Ethics (Chapters 4–6)
8. Which type of research focuses on describing variables without manipulating
them, often using surveys or observational methods?
A) Experimental
B) Quasi-experimental
C) Descriptive (Non-experimental)
D) Qualitative
