Question

Identify two areas of nursing practice, which evidence-based practice has improved patient outcomes. State the study and its impact on patient care. How have these findings changed your nursing practice? Please support your response with a minimum of two supporting peer reviewed articles.

Answer 1

There are many areas where evidence based practice has improved the patient outcomes. The two main areas in nursing practice are:

• Infection control: Nurses play an important role in prevention of infection which includes keeping the healthcare facility clean, wearing personal protective clothing, using barrier precautions and performing proper hand hygiene.
• Oxygen use for COPD patient: Some of them believe that giving unnecessary oxygen will cause serious problems like hypercarbia, acidosis and even death. But evidence based studies show that by giving oxygen the patient can be protected from getting hypoxia and organ failure and it will improve the quality of life and patient may live longer.

The two studies which shows impact on patient care are:

• Infection control in acute care facility: evidence based patient safety - Lindsay E Nicollein
• Oxygen therapy in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - Simon, Jadwiga.