Locating Credible Databases and Research
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is vital in nursing because it is the integration of the latest research, clinical practice, and patient values to deliver the best quality care. To help nurses in treating complicated health conditions, they need to have the latest evidence-based guidelines. Seeking and finding reliable sources of research that can guide clinical decision-making is central to nursing practice: Locating Credible Databases and Research.
In this scenario, a newly assigned nurse is taking care of a septic patient, which is a life-threatening condition that is caused when a person’s immune system overwhelms itself with an infection, leading to organ failure or septic shock. The new nurse is not sure of what to do with the patient with sepsis and needs guidance in finding research-proven best practices.
In my role as a supervising baccalaureate-prepared nurse, I will precept the new nurse, allowing for interaction with evidence-based literature that will direct them to credible databases, which will then provide critical information pertaining to early identification, sepsis screen tools, fluid resuscitation, antimicrobial treatment and supportive measures on care. This essay will explain effective communication strategies to promote research uptake; the most suitable places to conduct research in a Health facility will be described; a list of five databases that hold the best evidence on sepsis care will be revealed.
Communication Strategies to Encourage Research and Collaboration
New nurses can be encouraged to participate in research through a systematic process of building confidence and encouraging professional development. As a mentor, I would offer organized mentorship to help the new nurse search research databases, translate clinical guidelines, and adhere to evidence-based sepsis treatment protocols. Practical training, one-to-one mentorship, and teaching at the bedside can greatly improve the capacity of the new nurse to apply research to practice.
Notably, open communication is key to creating an effective learning environment. Putting efforts to actively listen to the new nurse’s questions, inquisitiveness, and knowledge gap, I can customize the teaching to address their needs in search of sepsis management protocol research. According to Mabona et al. (2022), generating a culture in which one can ask questions improves nurses’ understanding of research-based clinical decision-making.
The other important approach is to teach the new nurse how to perform effective research. I would teach them how to open hospital-subscribed databases like CINAHL, PubMed, and Medline. Additionally, I would also teach them to use Boolean operators and filter functions to search and critically analyze sources by using the CRAAP test, which pertains to the Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose of the source.
To support learning and developing research skills, regular feedback and follow-up sessions are necessary. When the nurse has been supported in finding appropriate sources, I could then have a follow-up session to discuss their findings, answer questions, and offer further guidance. By doing so, the nurse’s confidence to lead best practice research and implement evidence-based sepsis care is encouraged, as asserted by Brunt and Morris (2023). These communication tactics allow fledgling nurses to learn the critical skills behind life-long learning and quality patient care through research.
Best Places to Complete Research in a Healthcare Setting
Conducting quality research entails being connected to quality sources in the health facility. The ideal location for conducting research is the university or hospital library. A majority of hospitals contain medical libraries that are subscribed to services in databases such as CINAHL, PubMed, and Medline. These libraries, Oermann et al. (2021) indicate, provide entrance points to peer-reviewed publications, systematic reviews, and clinical practice guidelines for sepsis care. Other resources at university-based hospitals include consulting with professionals in librarian specialties of medical research.
Moreover, the hospital’s internal policy and clinical guidelines database is yet another place to complete research. Internal policies contain institution-specific clinical guidelines, sepsis protocols, and standardized care pathways. Evidence-based best practices compliance is ensured by reading these policies and instructing new nurses on how to apply research findings in the environment that already exists within the hospital.
Evidence-based research workstation computers also offer the equipment needed to support evidence-based research. The majority of hospitals provide nursing workstations with direct linkage to EHRs and hospital-subscribed research databases. Educating nurses on the utilization of these computerized resources stretches their ability to translate existing research findings into patient care and decision-making.
Websites of professional nursing organizations are another trustworthy source of evidence-based information. Websites like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) provide clinical practice guidelines, position statements, and continuing education modules on the care of sepsis and critical care nursing. These organizations are well known for publishing carefully vetted, high-quality information in line with best practices.
Government and health organization web pages, like those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and Surviving Sepsis Campaign, provide in-depth research papers, epidemiologic statistics, and sepsis management guidelines. They have current international sepsis diagnosis and treatment guidelines and are crucial in the provision of patient care according to the updated evidence-based practice (Bonfim et al., 2023). High-quality evidence in support of the best care for sepsis can easily be accessed from these sources of research by nurses.
Five Credible Online Sources for Sepsis Management Research
Credible sources of sepsis management research come from CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Medline, and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guidelines. Nursing-focused, peer-reviewed literature is available through CINAHL, and public access to biomedical research is accessible through PubMed, including clinical trials. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are the specialty of the Cochrane Library.
The peer reviewed studies on disease pathophysiology and treatment are sourced from Medline as accessed via EBSCO or PubMed. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) Guidelines offer internationally recognized clinically based, evidence-based guidelines for sepsis management to ensure that care adheres to the most recent advances in clinical management and improves patient care.
Explanation of Why the Sources Provide the Best Evidence
The sources were chosen due to a high level of credibility, relevancy, and reliability in clinical practice, and so evidence of the best sepsis management. As it is a nursing-specific database, CINAHL is a trusted database that gives access to peer-reviewed journals, systematic reviews, and clinical guidelines to apply the research findings directly to nursing interventions (Oermann et al., 2021). The National Library of Medicine’s PubMed is a vital database for sepsis treatment information and is made up of biomedical and clinical research from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews. Most articles are freely available for referral by healthcare providers.
Besides, the Cochrane Library focuses primarily on meta-analyses and systematic reviews of treatment efficacy, antimicrobial regimens as well as fluid resuscitation strategies (Oermann et al., 2021). Articles, clinical studies, and sepsis treatment guidelines are available through Medline, accessed via EBSCO or PubMed. Lastly, the SSC Guidelines are internationally recognized and evidence-based recommendations for sepsis management.
Critical care and infectious disease experts guide the development of these guidelines to make sure that healthcare providers use the newest, most evidence-based interventions. When devoted to this, these sources make clinical decisions evidence-based, which results in better patient outcomes and a reduced number of sepsis-related deaths.
Conclusion
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, orienting and mentoring new graduates to find credible sources of evidence-based research as the basis for quality patient care is essential. Through formal mentoring, practice, and clear communication, new nurses are supported to build confidence in research and decision-making. Health organizations provide various avenues, including hospital libraries, policy databases, and professional organization websites, through which nurses can access high-quality research on sepsis management.
With evidence-based sources such as CINAHL, PubMed, and the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines, nurses are able to make practice decisions from the best level of evidence quality. Evidence-based research utilized in practice substantiates patient safety, improves treatment outcomes, and advances nursing science overall.
References
Bonfim, D., Belotti, L., De Almeida, L. Y., Eshriqui, I., Velasco, S. R. M., Monteiro, C. N., & Jantsch, A. G. (2023). Challenges and strategies for conducting research in primary health care practice: An integrative review. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-10382-1
Brunt, B. A., & Morris, M. M. (2023, March 4). Nursing professional development evidence-based practice. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589676/
Mabona, J. F., Van Rooyen, D. R. M., & Ten Ham-Baloyi, W. (2022). Best practice recommendations for healthy work environments for nurses: An integrative literature review. Health SA Gesondheid, 27(1788), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v27i0.1788
Oermann, M. H., Wrigley, J., Nicoll, L. H., Ledbetter, L. S., Carter-Templeton, H., & Edie, A. H. (2021). Integrity of databases for literature searches in nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 44(2), 102–110. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000349
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Question 
Evidence-based practice (EBP) integrates the best evidence available to guide optimal nursing care, with a goal to enhance safety and quality. EBP is crucial to nursing practice because it incorporates the best evidence from current literature, along with the expertise of the practicing nurse. The concern for quality care that flows from EBP generates a desired outcome.
Without these factors, a nurse cannot be an effective leader. It is important to lead not only from this position but from knowledge and expertise. To gain the knowledge, you require a good understanding of how to search for scholarly resources, as well as identify which databases and websites are credible for the purposes of implementing evidence-based changes in practice.
Your Online e-Portfolio
Creating an ePortfolio is not required in the BSN program, but you may find it helpful to create one to attach to your professional resume while job hunting. Online ePortfolios serve two key purposes: 1) to support learning and reflection, and 2) to be used as a showcase tool. Your learning journey can be documented, and ePortfolios contribute to lifelong learning and growth through reflection and sharing. Online ePortfolios can also be shared with employers and peers to present artifacts that demonstrate your accomplishments at Capella.
Professional Context
As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse,
Scenario
You are supervising three nurses working on the medical-surgical floor of a local teaching hospital. This hospital is nationally recognized as a leader in education and has a computer lab with an online library where staff has access to medical research databases (that is, CINAHL, PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane library) and online sources of all hospital policies, procedures, and guidelines, and computers at nurse workstations that also have access to these resources. (For this scenario, use the Capella University Library to simulate the hospital’s online library.) You have given the nurses their patient assignments and you have all participated in shift report.
Assume you will assist in the quest to locate evidence, then describe where you would go within the facility and what resources you would look for. These resources may include websites, journals, facility policies or guidelines, or any other sources of online information.
You may choose the diagnosis
Consider the following examples: a nursing journal in CINAHL may not be the best source of evidence for information on how to administer medications through a central-venous catheter, whereas a hospital policy database found on a website may not be the best source of information on caring for a patient with a rare chromosomal abnormality.
Preparation
To help ensure you are prepared to complete this assessment, review the following resources related to the Capella library. These resources will provide you an overview of the types of tools, resources, and guides available in the library. This may be useful in forming a better understanding of the library to apply to the hypothetical situation laid out in the scenario of this assessment.
- BSN Program Library Research Guide.
- Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Health Sciences.
- Databases A-Z: Nursing & Health Sciences.
- Get Critical Search Skills.
Remember, it is also appropriate to look toward databases and resources outside of the Capella library, such as organizational policies, professional organizations, and government health care resources.
You are encouraged to complete the Evaluating the Credibility of Evidence activity. This activity offers an opportunity to practice evaluating the credibility of evidence. These skills will be necessary to complete Assessment 1 successfully and is for your own practice and self-assessment. Completing this activity is also a way to demonstrate course engagement.
Locating Credible Databases and Research
Instructions
The purpose of this assessment is to understand where to find evidence that can be applied to clinical scenarios and to learn effective communication and collaboration with clinical staff during the process of evidence location. As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, you will not only use research for self-improvement in your clinical role, but you will also serve as a mentor to supervised nursing staff.
Therefore, you will need to be able to communicate and collaborate effectively to guide them toward resources to find research, as well as support them through the initial evidence location process. In doing so, nurses can gain access to evidence that can be analyzed and utilized to stay current on best practices. This allows them to provide safe, patient-centered care and improve patient outcomes.
For this assessment:
- Describe your role as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse supervising clinical staff nurses with regard to communication and collaboration in locating evidence for application to a nursing practice scenario.
- Compile a list of five online databases or other online sources (that is, websites, journals, facility policies or guidelines, et cetera) that can be used to research evidence to apply to the diagnosis in this scenario and describe to which of these you would direct a nurse colleague to search for evidence.
- Describe where you might go in the work place to complete this research and how you would access the desired, relevant research within research databases or other online sources.
Be sure to address the following in this assessment, which correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Please study the scoring guide carefully so that you will know what is needed for a distinguished score.
- Describe communication strategies to encourage nurses to research the diagnosis/practice issue, as well as strategies to collaborate with the nurses to access resources.
- Describe the best places to complete research and what types of resources you would want to access to find pertinent information for the diagnosis/health care issue within the context of a specific health care setting.
- Identify five sources of online information (medical journal databases, websites, hospital policy databases, et cetera) that could be used to locate evidence for a clinical diagnosis/practice issue.
- Explain why the sources of online information selected should provide the best evidence for the chosen diagnosis/health care issue.
- Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling using current APA style.
Note: While you are not selecting and evaluating specific evidence to help with the clinical diagnosis/practice issue, you should still be citing the literature and best practices to support your description of your communication and collaboration approach. Additionally, it is appropriate to cite best practices related to EBP and evaluating databases to support your explanation as to why you selected the five sources of online information that you did.
Your assessment should meet the following requirements:
- Length of submission: 2-4 pages (not including the title page or the reference page) description of communication, collaboration, and evidence location process, including a list of databases or other sources with description of why they are appropriate for clinical scenario diagnosis/health care issue (that is, something that would be useable in professional practice for other nurses). Be sure to include an APA-formatted reference page at the end of your submission.
- Number of references: Cite a minimum of three sources of scholarly or professional evidence that supports your findings and considerations. Resources should be no more than five years old;
- APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style.
Client’s Notes:
- list 3 references
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