Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses

Fortunately, few ethical dilemmas arise when considering use of evidence.

Care must be taken to label evidence correctly and to be true to the process

of review. Shortcuts should not be taken when searching for evidence, and at-

tention to detail is critical. On occasion, an author might mislabel the type of

review conducted because there are many commonalities. Authors sometimes

generalize beyond the scope of the evidence or ignore limitations of studies

(Gambrill, 2011). It is therefore important for nurses to critically read and be

familiar with the various types of review to determine the usefulness of the

findings. Gambrill noted that discretion must be used when choosing how to

describe new ideas (e.g., accurately or in a distorted form) and that original

(rather than secondary) sources must be read.

It is normal to become excited when finding evidence that can be applied

to practice. Such enthusiasm makes providing nursing care stimulating. On

one hand, practice changes must be considered carefully because lives are at

stake. On the other hand, it is unethical not to adopt practice guidelines when

the evidence is clear. Our nursing efforts must focus on providing the best care

to achieve optimum patient outcomes, with the least variation in practice, in

a resource-conscientious manner while integrating the evidence with patient

preferences. Using other sources of evidence upon which to base your nursing

practice enhances your abilities to achieve these goals.

True/False

1. Nurses are ethically obligated to follow practice guidelines when evidence is clear.


2. Authors who publish their work in professional journals never draw conclusions beyond
   their findings.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 12-3

How did you do? 1. T; 2. F

12.3 Keeping It Ethical

At the end of this section, you will be able to:

‹ Discuss one ethical dilemma when using other sources of evidence

324 CHAPTER 12 Other Sources of Evidence