Competency Statement: The nursing student demonstrates the ability to provide care that takes into account best available evidence, clinical expertise and patient’s individual needs, values and preferences.
Knowledge
The nursing student:
- Describes different sources of evidence (e.g. empirical studies, clinical expertise, patient values and preferences)
- Outlines and discriminates between different levels of evidence
- Describes different approaches used to collect and collate data to inform evidenced-based practice
- Explains the terms validity, reliability, trustworthiness and credibility in reference to healthcare studies
- Explains how evidence-based practice influences the choice of interventions in the provision of effective patient care
- Describes personal strategies used to access nursing evidence to inform and improve patient care
Skills
The nursing student:
- Plans and provides healthcare based on the best available evidence
- Accesses, appraises and critiques multiple sources of evidence
- Uses information and communication technologies to access valid sources of evidence
- Considers clinical expertise as a valuable source of evidence
- Includes patient’s values and preferences as valid sources of evidence
- Provides rationales for patient care that are informed by the best available evidence
- Demonstrates ethical standards in the collection, interpretation and use of data
Evidence-based practice is the conscientious and explicit use of contemporary research, current evidence, clinical expertise and patient values to make decisions about patient care. Evidence-based practice requires the ability to search for, critically appraise, utilise and translate research into practice.