Looking Back to Look Forward

A Challenging Experience

The most challenging part of this course was grading and synthesizing evidence in Appendix H. At first, I had difficulty distinguishing between levels of evidence and determining quality with precision, particularly for non-randomized but methodologically sound studies: Looking Back to Look Forward.

For instance, in rating a cross-sectional study of nurse staffing and patient safety outcomes, I could not decide whether to rate it as Level II or III (Brunt & Morris, 2023). To overcome this, I widely consulted the Johns Hopkins Evidence Level and Quality Guide as well as peer-reviewed exemplars, which I consequently used to confidently and clearly understand how to apply the criteria correctly.

An Area for Improvement

One of the most significant areas I identified for improvement was my database search method. At the beginning of the Literature Review, I retrieved plenty of irrelevant articles since my terms were too general. As I progressed and improved my skills, I could effectively use Boolean operators and MeSH terms (DeMars & Perruso, 2022).

For instance, combining the relevant terms “nurse-patient ratio”, “adverse events” “ and “acute care” narrowed down the results to pertinent studies. I will practice these complex search techniques further to improve future evidence-based projects and facilitate time-effective, high-quality literature reviews.

A Key Takeaway or Revelation

One of the most helpful things I learned in this course was how to apply the PICOT model to frame the whole process of evidence translation. This process allowed me to design a question with specific search terms. My “aha” moment was when I understood the influence that each PICOT element had on the strength and application of the evidence that was obtained. It gave unity to my whole literature review.

Application to Future DNP Practice

As a future DNP-prepared nurse, I will utilize the evidence appraisal and translation competencies acquired in this course to drive quality improvement efforts in my practice environment. In particular, I aim to employ formal literature reviews and evidence grading to guide safe staffing policy, such as the one I created in my literature review assignment on nurse-patient ratios.

I also plan to guide nursing teams in the utilization of PICOT-based interventions in clinical problem identification and seeking evidence-based solutions (McClinton, 2022). Finally, this course has reaffirmed the need for the DNP role to provide evidence-based practice in enhancing patient safety and quality care at the systems level.

References

Brunt, B., & Morris, M. (2023, March 4). Nursing professional development evidence-based practice. National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589676/

DeMars, M. M., & Perruso, C. (2022). MeSH and text-word search strategies: Precision, recall, and their implications for library instruction. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 110(1), 23–33. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2022.1283

McClinton, T. D. (2022). A guided search: Formulating a PICOT from assigned areas of inquiry. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 19(5), 426–427. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12598

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WK11 8114 Blog: LOOKING BACK TO LOOK FORWARD
For this Blog, you will look back at your experience in this course and consider the most important things you learned, the challenges you faced, and the areas for improvement that you identified. Then, you will look forward and consider the ways you will implement what you have learned in your future professional practice as a DNP-prepared nurse.

To Prepare

• Review the learning resources for Week 11. Consider the role of the DNP-prepared nurse when it comes to advocating for or implementing a practice organization change or creating an organizational culture that embraces translation and application of evidence for quality improvement.
• Reflect on your experiences in this course. Consider what challenged you the most. What areas for improvement have you identified?
• Reflect on your experiences in this course. Consider what you learned that was totally new for you. What were your biggest takeaways, eye-openers, or revelations? Did you have any “aha” moments?
• Think about your future professional practice as a DNP-prepared nurse. How do you plan to use what you have learned in thus course?
  

  Looking Back to Look Forward

By Day 3 Of Week 11
Post the following related to your experiences in this course:

• Describe something that was challenging for you. Explain why it was challenging and what you did about it. Be specific and provide examples.
• Describe an area for improvement that you have identified. What are your plans to improve in this area? Be specific and provide examples.
• Describe something you learned that was totally new for you or which you consider a key takeaway that you will use in the future. Be specific and provide examples.
• Explain how you plan to use what you have learned in this course in your future professional practice as a DNP-prepared nurse.