Evidence-based practice and research methodologies: challenges and implications for the nursing profession.

Abstract

The utilization of evidence-based practice in nursing is a relatively new phenomenon. Although the medical profession has worked toward evidence-based medicine for nearly two decades, the nursing profession has executed evidence-based practice only since the late 1990s (Jennings & Loan, 2001). The primary goal of evidence-based practice is to improve decision making about patient interventions in an effort to deliver quality care while limiting cost. This is an important process for nursing in an era of limited healthcare resources; however, evidencebased practice in nursing is more challenging than its use in the medical profession because of the multiple sources of nursing knowledge. The purpose of this article is to explore research methods for evidencebased practice and discuss their applications and implications for nursing research and evidence-based practice in nursing.