NUR 504 EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICE (EBP) SUMMARY

NUR 504 EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICE (EBP) SUMMARY.Introduction Evidence-Based Practice continues to be an important aspect of healthcare and the future (Polit & Beck, 2012). Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), is used to entail researched data of the best and latest information in health care (Polit & Beck, 2012) The systematic inquiry needed for evidenced based practices involves research. Prevention of illness, health promotion and managing acute and/or chronic illness are core topics for evidenced-based practice. By using EBP, healthcare workers have the chance to give the best care, and improve patient outcomes (Jones, 2014). In this paper, an article by Nursing for Women’s Health titled “Using Smart Pumps to Reduce Medication Errors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit” will be explored. A summary as well as steps taken to start and implement the evidenced based practice project will be given. Reviewing the usage and need of smart pumps will assess the application of the evidenced based practice. Summary of Evidenced Based Practice Project Among the patient population, newborns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are the at the highest risk, (Lemoine & Hurst, 2012). Immature hepatic and renal systems results in a different response to infused medications (Lemoine & Hurst, 2012). Having medication administration errors in the NICU can be devastating. A study conducted by multiple centers reported an increase in how often medication errors occured in infants born at less than 30 weeks, (Lemoine & Hurst, 2012). Conversely only 3 percent of medication errors occur in the well baby unit, with a report of 13 to 91 events per 100 admissions in the NICU (Lemoine & Hurst, 2012). Smart pumps infuse prescribed medications and provide clinical decision support for the nurse at the bedside administering the intravenous fluids and medications.