Implementation Science and Nursing Leadership: Improving the Adoption and Sustainability of Evidence-Based Practice

A Nurse-Led Implementation Science Specialist Program

ABSTRACT

A well-known challenge in health care is integrating evidence into practice. Implementation science (IS) is a growing field that promotes the sustainable application of evidence-based practice (EBP) to clinical care. Health care organizations have an opportunity to support sustainable change by creating robust IS infrastructures that engage nurses in the clinical environment. Integrating IS into a nursing shared governance model is an ideal vehicle to empower direct care nurses to sustain EBP. Importantly, an IS infrastructure may also promote nurse retention and increase interdisciplinary collaboration. This article, the first in a series on applying IS, describes how a multisite health care organization developed a systemwide nurse-led IS Specialist program within a shared governance model.

Effectiveness of the best practice spotlight organizations program to reduce the prevalence of pressure injuries in acute care settings for hospitalized patients in Spain: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Pressure injuries are a major public health problem because of their impact on morbidity and mortality, quality of life, and increased healthcare costs. The Centros Comprometidos con la Excelencia en Cuidados/Best Practice Spotlight Organization (CCEC/BPSO®) program provides guidelines that can improve these outcomes.

AIMS

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the CCEC/BPSO® program in improving the care of patients at risk of pressure injury (PI) at an acute care hospital in Spain.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental regression discontinuity design in three periods was used: (1) baseline (2014), (2) implementation (2015-2017), and (3) sustainability (2018-2019). The study population was comprised of 6377 patients discharged from 22 units of an acute care hospital. The performance of the PI risk assessment and reassessment, the application of special pressure management surfaces, and the presence of PIs were all monitored.

RESULTS

Forty-four percent of patients (n = 2086) met the inclusion criteria. After implementing the program, the number of patients assessed (53.9%-79.5%), reassessed (4.9%-37.5%), the application of preventive measures (19.6%-79.7%), and the number of people identified with a PI in implementation (1.47%-8.44%) and sustainability (1.47%-8.8%) all increased.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

The implementation of the CCEC/BPSO® program achieved improved patient safety. Risk assessment monitoring, risk reassessment, and special pressure management surfaces were practices that increased during the study period and were incorporated by professionals to prevent PIs. The training of professionals was instrumental to this process. Incorporating these programs is a strategic line to improve clinical safety and the quality of care. The implementation of the program has been effective in terms of improving the identification of patients at risk and the application of surfaces.

Quality improvement in the implementation science paradigm in professional programs: scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To map knowledge regarding Quality Improvement in the implementation science paradigm in graduate nursing education in professional programs.

METHOD

This is a scoping review, conducted from October to December 2021, following the assumptions established by the Joanna Briggs Institute and the PRISMA-ScR protocol.

RESULTS

18 studies were selected. Being, 7 articles (38.8%) about the implementation strategies and development of Quality Improvement projects for graduate nursing students. The included studies emphasize Quality Improvement as a methodological strategy capable of capturing a problem in practice, to be solved without losing scientific rigor, and emphasize the importance of obtaining Quality Improvement skills in professional programs.

CONCLUSION

Implementation science and Quality Improvement projects advance professional programs to improve and develop quality health care.

Optimizing the Role of the Hospital-Based Nurse Scientist in a Changing Nursing Environment: Recommendations for Nurse Leaders

Nurses and nurse leaders directing clinical organizations can elevate scholarly inquiry by employing a PhD-prepared hospital-based nurse scientist (HBNS). This individual will shape the culture of clinical inquiry, leading and driving efforts to close the gap between knowledge and practice. As the nursing workforce struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, collaborations between HBNSs and nurse leaders are essential to explore and test new nursing care delivery systems. Given the national shortage in the PhD-prepared nurse scientist talent pool, attracting and hiring the right candidate is critical. The purpose of this article is to provide practical recommendations for nurse leaders to introduce an HBNS into an organization as an important building block for nursing science and improved clinical practice. The role of the HBNS has evolved in tandem with increased education in the nursing workforce, evidence-based practice, and the explosion of implementation science. Before recruiting an HBNS, the organization must create a job description that outlines responsibilities, paying attention to the HBNS position within the organizational structure. Additionally, leaders must consider the candidate's characteristics for interacting with clinical staff. The senior nursing leadership team must recognize and appreciate the HBNS as a scholar and advisor.

Implementation Science for the Practice-Oriented Nurse Leader

Senior nurse leaders are accountable for improving patient outcomes efficiently and cost-effectively. Nurse leaders often find heterogeneous patient outcomes across comparable nursing units in the same enterprise, presenting a challenge for nurse leaders tasked with making system-wide quality improvements. Implementation science (IS) offers a promising new approach to guide nurse leaders in understanding why certain implementation efforts meet with success or failure and the barriers faced in making practice changes. Knowledge of IS builds upon evidenced-based practice and quality improvement knowledge, adding to the armamentarium of tools at nurse leaders' disposal for improving nursing and patient outcomes. In this article, we demystify IS, differentiate it from evidence-based practice and quality improvement, describe IS concepts every nurse leader should be familiar with, and outline nurse leaders' role in building IS in their organizations.

Building the Science to Guide Nursing Administration and Leadership Decision Making

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to identify the challenges, barriers, and solutions for conducting nursing administration and leadership science (NALS) research.

BACKGROUND

Evidence from leadership science should be at the forefront of nurse leaders' decision making. Yet, challenges remain in building the evidence and moving it into nursing administration and leadership practice.

METHODS

This study used a Delphi technique with open-ended questions and direct content analysis to evaluate survey responses of members of the Association for Leadership Science in Nursing and American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

RESULTS

Open-ended responses were coded to yield super categories and supportive codes for areas with limited evidence to guide leadership practice and the challenges for conducting NALS research.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide future directions for continuously driving NALS research and for building and leveraging leadership science to support nursing administration decision making.