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Evidence Based Practice In Nursing

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Evidence based practice is an integral part of nursing care. According to the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses, evidence based practice is defined as, “the conscientious use of current best evidence in making decisions about patient care.” (AMSN) The use of evidence based practice has drastically improved patient outcomes, increased quality and safety of healthcare, and reduced costs for facilities. (Melnyk, 2016) In this paper I will provide the history of evidence based practice, how it has already been incorporated and impacted healthcare, and why it is important to nursing and healthcare as a whole. The History and Background of Evidence Based Practice Evidence based practice has been seen as far back as the 1700s and there is even some evidence tracing back to Ancient Egypt. (Dillard, 2017) The first randomized control test for EBP was in 1747 by James Lind. (Dillard, 2017) Lancaster used a sailing voyage to test the theory that scurvy could be prevented in sailors by use of citrus juice. The results from his experiment were dramatic but were not published for another 7 years. Even after it was published it took another 40 years before ships implemented having citrus juice for sailors. (Dillard, 2017) One of our most prominent figures in nursing, Florence Nightingale, is credited with evaluating and then changing practice standards in our field. (Brower, 2017) One of her greatest examples was implementing the change of using hot water with soap instead of just cold

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