Evidence-Based Practice Initiatives
The Nursing Department has made a commitment to integrating evidence-based practice (EBP) into all aspects of its operations, from the clinical staff nurse up through all levels of the administrative and clinical structures. The leadership for these efforts is provided by the Director of Education, Research, and Clinical Practice. She works closely with the Center for Research and Innovation in Patient Care to establish EBP as a core competency for staff nurses, nurse educators, clinical nurse specialists, and all levels of nursing administration.
Evidence-based Practice Fellowship
Our EBP Fellowship program prepares staff nurses to identify unit-based practice issues amenable to evidence-based performance improvement. Working with an advanced-practice nurse who serves as a coach, the fellow is guided through the process of framing the problem, compiling and appraising relevant literature and other evidence, determining the gap between the unit’s current practice and the identified best practice, formulating an appropriate change in practice, and conducting a small test of change on his or her unit to evaluate the feasibility of adopting the recommended new practice.
The overall purposes of this program are to:
- teach staff how to apply the skills of research utilization, problem identification, and solution testing to promote the adoption of evidence based practice;
- stimulate innovative thinking regarding practices that are efficient and effective in improving patient outcomes;
- foster professional growth and development of staff nurses to facilitate recruitment and retention at UCSF Medical Center;
- and identify issues and develop improvement strategies for to enhance care delivery at UCSF Medical Center.
The Nursing Procedure Committee
The purpose of the Nursing Procedure Committee (NPC) is to provide a structure for developing, reviewing, and revising evidence-based nursing procedures in all areas of Medical Center operations. Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Educators, and Staff Nurse experts (e.g. Patient Safety Fellows, Geriatric Resource Nurses, Pain Resource Nurses) oversee this process. Staff nurses contribute to this process at the unit and division levels where the actual reviews and development take place.