Continuing to challenge practice to be evidence based.

Practice habits continue in clinical practice despite the availability of research and other forms of evidence that should be used to guide critical care practice interventions. This article is based on a presentation at the 2014 National Teaching Institute of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The article is part of a series of articles that challenge critical care nurses to examine the evidence guiding nursing practice interventions. Four common practice interventions are reviewed: (1) weight-based medication administration, (2) chest tube patency maintenance, (3) daily interruption of sedation, and (4) use of chest physiotherapy in children. For weight-based administration of medication, the patient's actual weight should be measured, rather than using an estimate. The therapeutic effectiveness and dosages of medications used in obese patients must be critically evaluated. Maintaining patency of chest tubes does not require stripping and milking, which probably do more harm than good. Daily interruption of sedation and judicious use of sedatives are appropriate in most patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Traditional chest physiotherapy does not help children with pneumonia, bronchiolitis, or asthma and does not prevent atelectasis after extubation. Critical care nurses are challenged to evaluate their individual practice and to adopt current evidence-based practice interventions into their daily practice.

Examining the evidence to guide practice: challenging practice habits.

Nurses are the largest segment of the nation's health care workforce, which makes nurses vital to the translation of evidence-based practice as a practice norm. Critical care nurses are in a position to critically appraise and apply best evidence in daily practice to improve patients' outcomes. It is important for critical care nurses to continually evaluate their current practice to ensure that they are applying the current best evidence rather than practicing on the basis of tradition. This article is based on a presentation at the 2013 National Teaching Institute of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Four practice interventions that are within the realm of nursing are critiqued on the basis of current best evidence: (1) turning critically ill patients, (2) sleep promotion in the intensive care unit, (3) feeding tube management in infants and children, and (4) prevention of venothromboembolism…again. The related beliefs, current evidence, and implications for practice associated with each topic are described.

Putting evidence into nursing practice: four traditional practices not supported by the evidence.

Evidence-based nursing practice is essential to the delivery of high-quality care that optimizes patients' outcomes. Studies continue to show improved outcomes when best evidence is used in the delivery of patient care. Despite awareness of the importance of practicing by using best evidence, achieving and sustaining evidence-based practice within practice environments can be challenging, and research suggests that integration of evidence-based practice into daily clinical practice remains inconsistent. This article addresses 4 practice issues that, first, are within the realm of nursing and if changed might improve care of patients and, second, are areas in which the tradition and the evidence do not agree and practice continues to follow tradition. The topics addressed are (1) noninvasive measurement of blood pressure in children, (2) oxygen administration for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, (3) intravenous catheter size and blood administration, and (4) infection control practices to prevent infections. The related beliefs, current evidence, and recommendations for practice related to each topic are described.

Beyond the bloody mess: hematologic assessment.

Hematologic assessment is part of the routine assessment of acute and critically ill patients. Nurses must be aware of the reference ranges for complete blood cell counts and common coagulation profiles. A case study is presented of an elderly patient, taking warfarin for atrial fibrillation, who falls and sustains a head laceration. The subsequent assessment, hospital course, and treatments required are outlined.