Question 1
What is the best explanation for the way evidence-based practice (EBP) has changed the way nursing care is delivered?
- A. Nursing care now incorporates research studies into client care
- B. Nursing care reflects specialty knowledge
- C. Nursing care now uses EBP as a means of ensuring quality care
- D. Nursing care reflects economic concerns
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: C — Nursing care now uses EBP as a means of ensuring quality care
Evidence-based practice (EBP) has transformed nursing by making it a means of ensuring quality care, integrating current research, clinical expertise, and patient values into a systematic approach. Unlike simply incorporating studies, EBP evaluates and applies them to improve outcomes like reducing infection rates through proven protocols ensuring consistency and safety. Specialty knowledge enhances care but isn't EBP's core shift. Pre-EBP, nursing relied on tradition or economics, but now it prioritizes quality via evidence, not cost alone. This evolution empowers nurses to deliver precise, effective interventions, like using ginger for nausea based on reviews, elevating care beyond habit. EBP's focus on quality over mere incorporation or economics marks a paradigm shift, aligning nursing with scientific rigor and patient-centered excellence across diverse settings.