With reference to your role in healthcare (e.g. healthcare professional, manager, volunteer, carer or service user), critically discuss the key issues that need to be addressed as part of a plan to make better use of evidence in practice.
This essay will critically discuss the effectiveness of hand hygiene in the current Covid-19 pandemic and will focus on evidence based practice and identify areas for improvement.
Guidance for essay:
• 1.1 The design and planning of projects to review available evidence, to conduct ethical and sound research, and to analyse skills that contribute to quality healthcare agendas.
• 1.2 The ways in which philosophy, research paradigms and healthcare values may influence the way in which evidence is reviewed, research conceived and skill analysis conducted.
• 1.3 Appropriate philosophy, techniques and approaches necessary to underpin field work or information retrieval of different kinds: that of the researcher, the skill analyst or the reviewer of evidence.
• 2.1 Systematically determine the most strategically beneficial and practical way to arrange a research, evidence-evaluation or skill-analysis project.
• 2.3 In consultation with others, critically evaluate the contributions that the literature may make to research, evidence review or skill analysis projects, identifying that which is valid, reliable, authentic, transferable and coherent.
• 2.4 Critically determine the level of personal progress achieved with regard to command of research design, evidence review and skill analysis, determining future areas for professional development and opportunities to exploit these.
• 3.1 Critically utilise theoretical concepts and frameworks to plan research, evidence review and skill analysis, determining the extent of their contribution and identifying opportunities to deploy these in the future.
• 3.2 Working in conjunction with others, those in practice and the study group, conduct scholarly discussions regarding the design and management of measures that improve the evidence base of practice and practice skills that make a difference to healthcare consumers.
4.1 In association with colleagues at work, interrogate the way in which evidence and skills are conceived of, deployed and can be used so as to enhance the quality of healthcare available.
Introduction: 150 words
Discuss what will be written
Describe why there is a need for evidence
What is evidence based practice
Section 1 – Area of practice Improvement – 350 words
What is evidence?
Acceptable evidence – may be different from your personal view
Hierarchies of evidence, are they robust?
How important is quantitative/qualitative evidence?
Particular view points
Section 2 – Defining the appropriate evidence – 800 words
Range of evidence
How much evidence?
Research based evidence
Stakeholders etc
Quantitative or qualitative
How to use evidence in a better way
Gaps in knowledge
What is most useful
Testimony from colleagues/service users
Mention how the evidence can be evaluated and judged, e.g. PRISMA, GRADE, etc.
Grey literature – official publications
Section 3 – The complexity and challenges of moving forward with evidence in practice – 700 words
Politics
Limited evidence
Effective leadership
Champions
MDT working
Conclusion – 100 words
Summarise findings