NURS 5052/NURS 6052/NURS 6052N/NRSE 6052C/NURS 6052C/NURS 5052C/NURS 6052A/NRSE 6052A: Essentials of Evidence-Based Practice

NURS 5052/NURS 6052/NURS 6052N/NRSE 6052C/NURS 6052C/NURS 5052C/NURS 6052A/NRSE 6052A: Essentials of Evidence-Based Practice

In Week 1 of the NURS – 6052 course, the discussion revolved around exploring healthcare organizations that embrace Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). In response to this discussion, I focused on reviewing the website of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This particular organization is deeply committed to conducting research guided by the principles of EBP with the primary aim of enhancing practice guidelines and elevating the overall quality of care within healthcare organizations.

AHRQ’s dedication to EBP is evident in its core mission, which revolves around the utilization of EBP to reinforce key competencies, including “health systems research, practice improvement, and data and analytics” (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019). This mission is underpinned by the organization’s objective to generate credible reports that are readily accessible to the public. Essentially, the AHRQ’s overarching goal is to leverage EBP as a foundation for providing guidance to healthcare organizations. This guidance is intended to drive improvements in the quality and safety of healthcare services delivered to patients.

References:
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2019). About AHRQ. https://www.ahrq.gov/about/index.html

Upon exploring the AHRQ website, I encountered a wealth of credible articles firmly rooted in Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). Delving into the research section of the website, I discovered a trove of articles spanning various topics, including medication error prevention, primary care, and chronic care research. An interesting study, which employed the AHRQ guidelines within its research methodology, integrated the SHARE Approach endorsed by AHRQ to enhance shared decision-making (SDM) between healthcare providers and patients. The SHARE approach comprises five distinct SDM steps designed to guide decisions concerning a patient’s care plan (Hargraves, I., Fournier, A., Monton, V., & Bierman, A., 2020). Remarkably, the study’s findings indicated that the implementation of the SHARE approach had a positive and discernible impact on communication between patients and physicians.

In a separate study, the AHRQ’s Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit played a pivotal role in conducting a brown bag medication review aimed at bolstering medication adherence. This intervention required patients to bring all their medications to their medical appointments, where they received comprehensive education about each prescribed medication (Murtha, E., Elder, B., & Faragher, M., 2019). The outcomes of this study were noteworthy, revealing that the utilization of AHRQ’s toolkit resulted in significant health improvements and a consistent adherence to medication regimens.

Before my exploration of the AHRQ website, I was unaware of the organization’s existence, and as such, my perception of it remained unchanged. However, the experience has undeniably cast AHRQ in a new light as a reliable and valuable source of information for future research endeavors. Furthermore, the accessibility of hundreds of reports on the AHRQ website, at no cost, is a valuable resource for researchers and healthcare professionals alike. In conclusion, the multitude of research studies conducted and the evidence-based findings generated by AHRQ hold great promise in enhancing the quality of healthcare services delivered to patients across the United States.

References:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (2019). AHRQ’s Core Competencies. https://www.ahrq.gov/cpi/corecompetencies/index.html

Hargraves, I., Fournier, A., Monton, V., and Bierman, A. (2020). Generalized shared decision-making approaches and patient problems: Adapting AHRQ’s SHARE Approach for purposeful SDM. Patient education and counseling. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.06.022

Murtha, E., Elder, B., & Faragher, M. (2019). Brown bag medication review: Using AHRQ’s brown bag medication tool. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 35(1), 58-62. DOI: 10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000399