Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources

Evidence-based practice improves nurses’ decision-making because it integrates information obtained from research to promote patient care outcomes. AMI is one of the severe cardiovascular threats, and there is a need for addressing it due to certain consequences of the disease. This paper reflects on the acceptability of AMI evidence, assesses the reliability of sources, and attempts to implement an exemplary EBP model for elevating the quality of healthcare and patient results: Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources.

Acute Myocardial Infarction and the Need for an Evidence-Based Approach

AMI is a severe and potentially fatal condition whereby the heart muscles are damaged due to an insufficient supply of oxygen. As one of the leading causes of mortality globally, with over 1,000,000 cases annually in the United States alone, AMI requires urgent (less than 6 hours from symptom onset) and precise medical interventions to improve prognosis (Mechanic et al., 2022, p. 2). For patients with suspected AMI who cannot reach specialized centers in time for thrombolytics or Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), the prompt administration of aspirin can provide effective protection against vascular death (Cattaneo, 2024).

The study by Zhou et al. (2021) found that evidence-based nursing (EBN) significantly improved outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by heart failure. The experimental group receiving EBN showed lower anxiety (SAS) and depression (SDS) scores, better quality of life, and higher nursing satisfaction compared to the control group. An evaluation of the evidence-based nursing practice in patients with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure shows that patients with AMI can benefit from EBP interventions for improved health outcomes.

From scientific evidence, evidence-based systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials, and clinical guidelines, nurses can decrease AMI patients’ adverse outcomes, shorten their hospitalization periods, and boost their long-term recovery. EBP practice prevents further delay, inequity, and inconsistency in the cardiovascular treatment plan and hence positively impacts patients’ outcomes by decreasing preventable mortality.

Criteria for Determining the Credibility of Resources

Ensuring resource credibility is vital for evidence-based AMI care. The CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) evaluates journal articles and websites for reliability, accuracy, and applicability in clinical decision-making (Illinois State University, 2024). Currency is crucial because outdated information can lead to ineffective or harmful interventions. Medical studies published within the last five years are preferred to reflect current best practices.

For example, a study by Grøsland et al. (2023) emphasizes the importance of timely Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) in reducing mortality rates among Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) patients. They found that patients sent directly to PCI hospitals had a 4.8 percentage point decrease in mortality within the first month compared to those sent to non-PCI hospitals (p. 7).

This highlights the critical need for up-to-date information on PCI timing, which can be accessed through credible medical databases. Relevance ensures that the source applies directly to AMI patient care. For instance, beta-blocker use after acute myocardial infarction provides more practical literature than a general cardiology text that may lack specialized nursing care or current guidelines.

Authority assesses whether a source is authored by medical experts, researchers, or reputable institutions such as AHA, Cochrane, or CDC. Sources must be credible and should be from recognized authorities or organizations. When it comes to AMI, the information from authoritative sources such as the AHA or journals like CINAHL is appropriate as these are prepared by professionals in cardiology and nursing sciences. It ensures the qualifications of the authors and the methodological approach used in peer-reviewed journals and databases.

Accuracy is determined by whether the source includes validated clinical studies such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or meta-analyses, which provide stronger evidence than anecdotal reports. Finally, Purpose ensures that resources are unbiased and educational rather than commercially driven. Government (.gov), academic (.edu), and nonprofit (.org) sites (e.g., NIH, AHA, CDC) are more reliable than commercial (.com) websites promoting products (Kington et al., 2021). In this way, the criteria for credibility facilitate the improvement of AMI treatment based on research evidence and make clinical practice more uniform.

Analysis of the Credibility and Relevance of AMI Evidence

Based on the case of Acute Myocardial Infarction, it is important to utilize evidence that produces the right decision-making, which in turn decreases the incidences of complications and improves patients’ outcomes. Therefore, the current guidelines and best practices based on various sources are essential to assess the practicality and efficacy of the recommendations listed above.

PubMed provides access to peer-reviewed articles, systematic reviews, and clinical trials on AMI. It is maintained by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and includes extensive literature on AMI diagnosis, interventions, and new treatment strategies. According to NLM, “PubMed comprises more than 38 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, 5 life science journals, and online books” (National Library of Medicine, 2025, p 1). This makes it a valuable government-supported source for up-to-date, high-quality research on AMI management.

Subsequently, CINAHL is a comprehensive database that provides access to a wide range of nursing and allied health research (EBSCO, 2024,p1). It includes peer-reviewed journal articles, evidence-based practice guidelines, and clinical studies, making it an essential tool for nurses and healthcare professionals to enhance patient care in the management of AMI.

Cochrane reviews are live publications, given that they are updated every two years. The Cochrane Library offers its users the best two levels of evidence for decision-making within healthcare (Puga & Atallah, 2020,p 3). The Cochrane Library is a trusted source for evidence synthesis, reducing bias by combining multiple clinical trials, making it essential for accurate clinical decision-making.

Cochrane’s reviews of AMI interventions remain useful in providing comprehensive summaries of such interventions. It gives a worthy perspective of the efficacy of various management approaches, giving an independent assessment of what is best for AMI patients.

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a trusted organization that provides clinical guidelines for AMI treatment, offering protocols for early aspirin administration, PCI, and beta-blocker use. As an authoritative institution, AHA regularly updates its recommendations to reflect the latest research and best practices in cardiology.

In contrast, existing organizational databases contain hospital-related policies but are not evidence-based or peer-reviewed. Grøo and Goldstein (2021) note that EHR-based data was not originally designed for research, often missing key clinical and epidemiological insights (p. 4).

Most Useful Resource for AMI Management

Among these sources, the best source of evidence for AMI treatment is the Cochrane Library. Its systematic reviews pool different RCTs to reduce bias levels and provide the highest level of evidence. Cochrane has largely focused on meta-analyses, which ensure AMI interventions are effective and credible, making the Cochrane database the most authoritative tool for AMI care. AMI interventions should be evidence-based and consist of standardized approaches to treat patients as shown through Cochrane, Pub Med CINAHL, and AHA guidelines

Evidence-Based Practice Model for AMI Management

The Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice (JHEBP) Model is a planned model employed in the practical application of evidential research to manage Acute Myocardial Infarction. This is particularly vital because it can help provide an intervention that is less hypothesized and more evidence-based; additionally, it can help in assessing the optimality of the health outcome of clients and the number of complications that are likely to occur. AMI treatment consists of aspirin, beta-blockers, and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI); these must be initiated urgently to decrease mortality (Bansal et al., 2022).

The JHEBP model employs PET, which stands for Practice Question, Evaluation, and Translation, to identify the sources of quality concern, evaluate research, and implement the best practices (Tsistinas, 2020). The first one is a practice question, which involves identifying a quality or safety issue that needs to be changed, such as delayed treatment with life-saving AMI interventions.

The second step is ‘Evidence sources,’ which requires searching through databases like PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and AHA guidelines to identify the best practice interventions. The third process is the implementation (Translation), where this evidence is incorporated into clinical realities and standard care; healthcare teams adhere to AMI management protocols that will improve the quality of care given to the patients.

Importance of Incorporating Credible Evidence

Integrating credible evidence into an evidence-based practice model is essential to ensure that clinical decisions are guided by the most recent, reliable, and high-quality research. Randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses represent the highest level of evidence as they eliminate ineffective interventions (Seidler et al., 2020). Guideline policies such as the AHA and Cochrane systematic reviews are critical in AMI management as they set high benchmarks of practices, minimize variability, and enhance the application of interventions in the management of the condition. Using data from credible sources and published articles, the nurses and physicians guarantee that a variety of treatment plans adhere to evidence-based practices, thus positively influencing patient outcomes and recovery over time.

How the JHEBP Model Improves AMI Management

The JHEBP model enhances the management of AMI through the integration of protocolized care pathways in the hospitals with the aim of increasing response times and ensuring AHA guideline-compliant medication administration. It helps in early PCI and decreases complications. Besides, the involvement of independent nurse-led education initiatives also helps improve patient compliance with lifestyle changes and medications. It also ensures that hospitals give the best necessary and research-based AMI care, leading to low death rates and improved cardiovascular health in the long run through steady improvement and vertically integrated clinical pathways.

References

Ahmad, M., Mehta, P., Reddivari, A. K. R., & Munger, S. (2023, June 5). Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556123/

Bansal, K., Gore, M., & Nalabothu, P. (2022, November 20). Anterior myocardial infarction. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562234/

Cattaneo, M. (2024). Aspirin is a life-saving drug for patients with acute myocardial infarction. Haematologica, 109(11), 3459–3460. https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2024.286215

EBSCO. (2024). CINAHL Database. EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/products/research-databases/cinahl-database

Gianfrancesco, M. A., & Goldstein, N. D. (2021). A narrative review on the validity of electronic health record-based research in epidemiology. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-021-01416-5

Grøsland, M., Telle, K. E., & Øien, H. (2023). Effect of hospital assignment on mortality for AMI patients. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09441-4

Illinois State University. (2024). Guides: Determine Credibility (Evaluating): CRAAP (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose). Illinoisstate.edu. https://guides.library.illinoisstate.edu/evaluating/craap

Kington, R. S., Arnesen, S., Chou, W.-Y. S., Curry, S. J., Lazer, D., & Villarruel, A. M. (2021). Identifying credible sources of health information in social media: Principles and attributes. NAM Perspectives, 2021(1). https://doi.org/10.31478/202107a

Mechanic, O. J., Gavin, M., Grossman, S. A., & Ziegler, K. (2022). Acute Myocardial Infarction (Nursing). PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568759/

National Library of Medicine. (2025). PubMed. PubMed Labs. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Puga, M. E. dos S., & Atallah, Á. N. (2020). Cochrane Library: the best evidence within everyone’s reach. Sao Paulo Medical Journal, 138(5), 355–358. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-3180.2020.138527102020

Seidler, A. L., Hunter, K. E., Cheyne, S., Berlin, J. A., Ghersi, D., & Askie, L. M. (2020). Prospective meta-analyses and Cochrane’s role in embracing next-generation methodologies. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 89(10). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.ed000145

Tsistinas, O. (2020). Subject Guides: Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice: Johns Hopkins EBP Model. Guides.upstate.edu. https://guides.upstate.edu/c.php?g=1023176&p=7411252

Zhou, Y., Wang, X., Lan, S., Zhang, L., Niu, G., & Zhang, G. (2021). Application of evidence-based nursing in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated with heart failure. American Journal of Translational Research, 13(5), 5641. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8205824/

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Develop a 2-4 page scholarly paper in which you describe the diagnosis you researched for the previous assessment, and then identify and analyze credible evidence that could be used as the basis for applying EBP to the issue.

Scenario: For this assessment, use the specific diagnosis/health issue you selected for the first assessment.

Instructions: The purpose of this analysis is to better understand what constitutes credibility of journal articles as well as websites. The role of the baccalaureate-prepared nurse in incorporating evidence-based research continues to growth in clinical practice. As quality improvement (QI) measures to reduce safety risks continue to be emphasized, the need for evidence-based models and evidence-based templates is growing.

This type of systematic approach to incorporating evidence-based findings allows nurses to make clinical and operational decisions based upon the best available evidence. When the most up-to-date evidence-based findings are utilized, patient-centered care improves outcomes and enhances the patient experience.

Below is a quick review table of several well-known Evidence-Based Practice Models used to guide exploration:

Evidence-Based Practice Models
Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice
Stetler Model
Ottawa Model
PARiHS (Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services) Model
ACE (Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice) Star Model
ARCC (Advancing Research and Clinical Practice Through Close Collaboration) Mode
John Hopkins Model
KTA (Knowledge-to-Action) Model

For this assessment:

• Explain the criteria that should be used when determining the credibility of journal articles as well as websites.
• Support your explanations with references to the literature or research articles that describe criteria that should be used to determine credibility.
  • Your identification and determination of credibility should be done within the context of your chosen diagnosis for this assessment. Your initial identification of resources should be of resources that will best help address the presented diagnosis you selected. Since you are locating resources to help provide evidence-based care for the diagnosis/health care issue you identified in the first assessment, you may want to begin your literature and evidence search from the databases that were identified.

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 a chosen diagnosis that could benefit from an evidence-based approach.
• Explain criteria that should be considered when determining credibility of resources such as journal articles and websites.
• Analyze the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources within the context of a chosen diagnosis.
  • This is where you are selecting the specific resources to help address the diagnosis you selected for the first assessment.
• Identify the Evidence-Based Practice model and explain the importance of incorporating credible evidence into the EBP model used to address a chosen diagnosis. Review the literature below and choose the appropriate model for your diagnosis.
  • Selecting a model for evidence-based practice changes. [PDF] and Evidence-Based Practice Models help explain the various evidence-based nursing models.
• Communicate using writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling using current APA style.

Additional Requirements Your assessment should meet the following requirements:

• Length of submission: 2-4-page scholarly paper, this does not include the APA-formatted title page and reference list.
• Number of references: Cite 3-5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support 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.

Competencies Measured: By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 2: Analyze the relevance and potential effectiveness of evidence when making a decision.
  • Explain criteria that should be considered when determining credibility of resources such as journal articles and websites.
  • Analyze the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources within the context of a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis.
• Competency 3: Apply an evidence-based practice model to address a practice issue.
  • Identify an evidence-based practice model (such as Iowa, Stetler, John Hopkins, etc.) and explain the importance of incorporating credible evidence into an EBP model used to address a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis/health care issue.
• Competency 4: Plan care based on the best available evidence.
  • Describe a quality or safety issue, or a chosen diagnosis, that could benefit from an evidence-based approach.
• Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead practice changes based on evidence.
  • Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
  • Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.