Implementation of Evidence Based Practice (Essay Sample)

Models to Guide Implementation of Evidence Based Practice/Implementation Research
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Models to Guide Implementation of Evidence Based Practice/Implementation Research
I work in the acute care unit in a hospital with many geriatric patients with dementia or delirium. One of my crucial nursing responsibilities is providing critical care to these patients. I also work with a multidisciplinary team consisting of doctors and pharmacists to enhance patient outcomes. Using an appropriate theoretical model in the acute care unit is paramount in improving patient outcomes in nursing practice. The relevant model for providing care in the acute care unit is the Iowa model of evidence based practice.
The Iowa model was initially developed as a research utilization model for nursing practice. The model helps nurses to focus on using evidence-based knowledge to identify and solve problems and improve nursing practice. The seven steps in the Iowa model include topic selection, team formation, evidence retrieval, evidence grading, EBP standard development, EBP implementation, and evaluation (Duff et al., 2020).
Case in point, the Iowa model was used in my organization to reduce the use of restraints in the acute care setting. Following the identification of restraint in the acute care unit as a critical matter that requires intervention, a multidisciplinary team was formed to review the hospital's restraint policies and guidelines. The team established that education could significantly contribute to physical restraint reduction. Therefore, they conducted a systematic review of primary research articles to obtain valid and reliable data on the effectiveness of education in reducing physical restraint in the acute care setting. They used the empirical evidence to develop a restraint education program for the acute care staff and implemented it over the course of six months. Kirkpatrick's training evaluation model was used to assess the program's impact on the staff's change in practice.
In this case, Iowa was chosen because it is an action model that facilitates the implementation of evidence based practice by providing a comprehensive guide on planning and execution strategies, as Nielsen (2015) explains. Additionally, this model was also suitable due to its concept of trigger whereby a clinical problem such as restraint creates the need for evidence based practice. However, the Iowa model's major weakness is the ineffective implementation of the framework due to poor coordination of the project team, inadequate resources, or ineffective leadership (Duff et al., 2020). This challenge would cause the persistence of the identified clinical problem, adversely affecting patient outcomes.
Discussion Post Response
The student identifies Iowa as the most utilized evidence based practice model in the neuro/trauma intensive care unit because it is an action based model that guides the disciplinary team in planning and executing a project to solve an identified cli