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Locating Credible Databases and Research
Learner’s Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX4030: Making Evidence-Based
Decisions Instructor Name
August, 2020
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Locating Credible Databases and Research
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the use of the best evidence available for problem-
solving and decision-making in patient care. Pain is considered to be one of the most adverse
outcomes of a surgery. If not treated effectively, pain can lead to sleep deprivation, anxiety, and
acute neurohormonal changes. Pain management in postsurgical patients requires high-quality
care. Evidence suggests that a lack of encouragement or support of EBP research for
postoperative pain management lowers nurses’ confidence in functioning efficiently
(Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska et al., 2018).
In this assessment, the scenario considered is that of a newly trained nurse assigned to a
patient suffering from prolonged postoperative pain. It is the nurse’s first assignment, and she is
not confident about implementing evidence-based practice in the context of the patient’s
diagnosis. The focus of this assessment is to identify communication strategies that a head or
senior nurse can use to encourage newly trained nurses to effectively research their patients’
diagnoses. Recommendations on how to evaluate credible sources during the research process
and the criteria to be considered when selecting the best sources will be identified. Finally, a list
of recommended sources will be provided along with the rationale behind choosing them.
Communication Strategies to Encourage Diagnosis-Based Research
Learning while on the job through structured mentoring gives new nurses a clearer idea
of how to approach a problem. Competent mentors help new nurses build confidence and enable
an atmosphere that promotes communication within a practice. Mentors display personal
characteristics such as empathy, respectfulness, and patience. They practice active listening by
conducting unscheduled discussions frequently with new nurses to address queries. They
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also provide constructive feedback to support the learning process (Mikkonen et al., 2020).
Online training or video-based modules have also added value to the learning process.
Interacting through visual aids such as the Practice Nurse Postcard tool can help mentors
communicate necessary information to new nurses (Dadich & Hosseinzadeh, 2016).
The Best Places to Complete the Research
Credible sources can be identified using the CRAAP test, which stands for the five
criteria for evaluating an online source, namely currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and
purpose (Central Michigan University, 2020). The CRAAP test provides a handy checklist to
identify credible online sources. However, nurses must ensure that they look for resources in the
right places. Practicing nurses have had the best EBP-oriented research experiences in health
care settings and clinical trials (Galassi et al., 2014). Additionally, it is recommended that nurses
use the hospital or university library, hospital policy manuals, and hospital guidelines to
complete their research.
Identification of Five Sources for Evidence of Clinical Diagnosis
Based on the factors indicated in the CRAAP model, five credible online sources have
been identified. The sources are as follows: the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health
Literature database run by EBSCO publishing, the PubMed website
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) published by the National Library of Medicine, the Journal
of Pain by the American Pain Society, the Journal of Pain and Relief, and the Columbian
Journal of Anesthesiology by Wolters Kluwer. These sources provide validated information for
research on postoperative pain management. Based on the CRAAP model, these five sources
have been ranked in the order of their usefulness.
Explanation of Why the Sources Provide the Best Evidence
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These sources have been selected because they provide access to vetted, full-text articles
from the most sought-after medical journals and peer-reviewed articles by practicing nurses,
medical professionals, or research scholars in the field of medical science. These journals
and websites provide information on EBP-oriented research on postoperative pain management,
which is backed by scientifically collected data. These sources are regularly updated with the
latest findings. Credible articles in these journals are easy to find and most of them are available
free of cost.
Conclusion
Competent mentoring by using appropriate communication strategies can help nurses
adopt EBP-oriented research in their practice. Support from mentors helps new nurses research
effectively when they encounter new patient diagnoses. For effective research, nurses can
evaluate the credibility of the online sources using the CRAAP model.
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References
Central Michigan University. (2020). Website research: CRAAP test.
https://libguides.cmich.edu/web_research/craap
Dadich, A., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2016). Communication channels to promote evidence-based
practice: A survey of primary care clinicians to determine perceived effects. Health Research
Policy and Systems, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-016-0134-z
Galassi, A. L., Grady, M. A., O’Mara, A. M., Ness, E. A., Parreco, L. K., Belcher, A. E., &
Hastings, C. E. (2014). Clinical research education: Perspectives of nurses, employers, and
educators. Journal of Nursing Education, 53(8), 466–472. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-
20140724-04
Mędrzycka-Dąbrowska, W., Dąbrowski, S., Gutysz-Wojnicka, A., Basiński, A., & Kwiecień-Jaguś,
K. (2018). Nurses’ knowledge and barriers regarding pain management. Journal of
PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 33(5), P715–726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2017.03.005
Mikkonen, K., Tomietto, M., Cicolini, G., Kaucic, B. M., Filej, B., Riklikiene, O., Juskauskiene, E.,
Vizcaya-Moreno, F., Pérez-Cañaveras, R. M., De Raeve, P, & Kääriäinen, M. (2020).
Development and testing of an evidence-based model of mentoring nursing students in clinical
practice. Nurse Education Today, 85. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.104272
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