WeResearch – March 8, 2023 -A Thriving Clinical Practice: Finding and Using Clinical Practice Evidence – Part I

To view the recorded webinar, click here.

In this two-part webinar series, an academic lecturer and two RPN fellows will share their experiences on how to find, appraise, translate and use evidence easily and describe what a difference it makes to their professional practice. In Part I, the leader will describe all types of evidence, how it is created and how to gauge the strength, trustworthiness, and value and how to read, interpret and apply the information.

RPNs are knowledge professionals who maintain clinical competence and advocate for the implementation and use of evidence to inform their practice. According to CNO, competent practice standards for RPNs (2019) are established for: protection of the public, practice reference, approval of nursing education programs, registration and membership requirements, legal reference, public information and continuing competence. Competent practice for practical nursing includes regulatory principles, which include professional practice (RPNs are expected to use knowledge, critical thinking, critical inquiry and research to build an evidence-informed practice and integrate relevant evidence into practice), ethical practice, legal practice, foundations of practice (RPNs use critical thinking, reflection and evidence integration to assess clients, plan care, implement interventions, and evaluate outcomes and processes) and collaborative practice (College of Nurses of Ontario: Entry-to-practice competencies, 2019, p. 4) in conjunction with underlying assumptions, such as advocating for implementation and use of evidence-informed clinical practice.

Evidence-informed practice is defined by the Canadian Nursing Association (2010) as how nursing decisions are made with clients, using an ongoing process that incorporates research, clinical expertise, client preferences and other available resources. (College of Nurses of Ontario: Entry-to-practice competencies, 2019, p. 8)