Relating Spirit Of Inquiry And EBP Leadership In Real Life Situation (Reaction Paper Sample)

          Spirit of Inquiry Author Institution                 Introduction Developing and Maintaining a Personal “Spirit of Inquiry” The importance of provision of mental healthcare cannot be understated as far as the growth and development of any country is concerned. Indeed, it has always been well acknowledged that mental health, and healthcare in general, has a bearing on the economic sustainability of any country, particularly considering that it is only individuals that are in good health shape that would have the capacity to sufficiently engage in economic activities. At the heart of healthcare provision is the whole body of professionals and institutions. Healthcare professionals are charge with the responsibility of offering research-based services that would enhance the quality of life and health of their clients or patient. This paper examines the development of personal ‘spirit of inquiry’ in the psychiatry field, particularly in the advancement of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of emotional, mental and behavioral disorders. French (2005) shows that evidence-based practice results in higher quality care, enhanced patient outcomes, lower costs, as well as increased satisfaction of the healthcare professionals, compared to the traditional or conventional approaches to care. In spite of the numerous favorable findings, a large proportion of healthcare professionals have remained inconsistent with regard to their implementation of evidence-based care services. This is particularly the case for healthcare professionals whose educational background predates the invention and inclusion of the EBP in their academic curriculum, in which case they are deficient of internet search and computer skills that are required for the implementation of the practices (Fineout-Overholt et al., 2010a). This causes misconceptions pertaining to EBP, especially that it is too time-consuming and too difficult, to flourish. Healthcare professionals are noted to adhere to outdated procedures and policies without even questioning how relevant and accurate they are in the current times, or whether they are actually based on scientific evidence. It goes without saying, that some of these policies and practices are not only baseless as far as science is concerned, but they are also not of any benefit in the long-term to the patient or in the delivery of healthcare services. This underlines the importance of the spirit of inquiry, which is defined as the ongoing curiosity pertaining to the best evidence that would guide an individual or healthcare professional in making the best clinical decision. In instances where the spirit of inquiry and a culture that is supportive of the same are deficient, healthcare professionals have reduced likelihood for embracing evidence-based practice (EBP) (Fineout-Overholt et al., 2010b). Every day, healthcare professionals across the care continuum carry out numerous interventions that are supposed to trigger questions pertaining to the evidence that support their utilization. In instances where the professionals have a spirit of inquiry within an appropriate EBP culture, they would routinely ask questions pertaining to clinical practice in the course of delivery of clinical practice. One of the ways in which I have been cultivating the spirit of inquiry is through posing question in PICOT format, a format that considers the patient population that is being considered (P), the intervention or area of interest (I), the comparison group or intervention (C), results or Outcome (O), as well as time (T) (Stillwell, 2010a). This format offers an efficient framework that professionals can use to search electronic databases, which is designed in a manner that would allow for the retrieval of only articles that are relevant to the question at hand. In addition, I have been striving to obtain the most appropriate evidence to support the practices in question. Given the previous step or action, obtaining and looking for evidence that would inform clinical practice is immensely streamlined (Fineout-Overholt et al., 2010a). The format allows for the identification and utilization of key phrases and words that would fasten or expedite the location of the appropriate articles in huge databases, once they are entered successively and combined. I often undertake speedy critical appraisal of the studies and articles to which I come across in an effort to determine their accuracy, relevant validity, reliability, as well as applicability to the clinical question. More often than not, the questions can be sufficiently answered through the examination of the abstract in the peer reviewed sources (French, 2005). However, detailed inquiry has proven to be imperative in the production of successful health outcomes, particularly in mental health. Stillwell et al. (2010a) noted that background and foreground questions are imperative in clinical evidence based practice. Three questions come in handy, in this case, particularly considering that the process of critiquing articles can be quite complex and laborious. First, I ask whether the study results are valid, an aspect that is determined by the rigorousness of the research methods as to ensure that the results are sufficiently close to the truth. Secondly, there is the question on the results and their importance to mental health of the subject I am exploring. This question is determined by the type of study that I am undertaking and whether it is qualitative or intervention study. The third question revolves around whether the results would be helpful in taking care of the patients, a question that explores the applicability of the results and whether the study subjects bear similarities with my patients’ mental status.     Overcoming Barriers Melnyk, Fineout-Overholt, Gallagher-Ford, Stillwell (2011) acknowledged that “…it’s critical to have an organizational culture that supports EBP in order for clinicians to consistently deliver evidence-based care”. In overcoming the identified barriers, there are varied specific actions that I will be putting into action. Key among them is engaging in much more planning. It is noteworthy that a large proportion of barriers emanate from the fact that an individual does not think about questions such as “what, when, how, why”, which are crucial in not only achieving the goal, but also getting others on board. In this case, getting into the habit of the identified practice would necessitate much more planning so that my conviction for the appropriateness of the decisions can be enhanced. Further, I would need to change my focus and ensure that my focus is on the appropriate goal. Stillwell et al. (2010a) proposed that any successful research strategy was initiated by well-formulated questions. The questions that are formulated should be focused towards the attainment of the objective. It is often the case that in instances where a set goal has been identified, individuals focus only on the positive results, in which case there is bound to be immense discouragement in case the individual does not achieve the stated goal. For instance, it is not often the case that the library or databases where one seeks information on a particular would have the required materials to obtain information required. This could cause discouragement amongst individuals and cause them to revert to the old untested ways. However, changing the focus from the main goal to the small steps and the progress that is made in the long-term and the short-term would be an effective way of overcoming the discouragement. In this case, seeking other databases even when they do not provide as many articles or materials would be a step in the right direction as one knows how he or she can research on the subject. I would need to raise awareness amongst my colleagues regarding the necessity of the identified course of action in improving the mental health outcomes of the patients. More often than not, one fails to obtain the appropriate assistance and support from friends and colleagues as a result of not keeping them in the loop. Similarly, the deficiency of assistance is based on their not knowing the importance of the course of action that has been taken or selected (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2005). In this case, raising awareness amongst the colleagues would not only wear out the resistance but also increase the support for the courses of action. Perceptions after Implementation of the proposed actions The perception of co-workers, faculty and even classmates is bound to be dynamic. In the initial stages of the implementation of the actions, the individuals are bound to expressly reject the ideas and even resist its implementation. This is based on the fact that change, in any case, does not attract as much support given that it creates the impression that the individuals would be moving from their comfort zones. After all, the colleagues, classmates and co-workers may have always done things in the same way for a long time and choosing a new way of doing them would likely involve immense investments in terms of time and sometimes, financial resources. Nevertheless, this would evolve into skepticism especially once I start implementing it in earnest in which case they are bound to ask more questions regarding the subject at hand, not specifically with the aim of rejecting the base of the implemented actions, but with the aim of gaining more understanding of the importance of the courses of actions (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2005). This would, eventually, evolve into support for the actions themselves upon Correction of Misconceptions In the field of psychiatry, ...