Shaping the Facts Evidence-based Nursing and Health Care

This resource presents evidence-based nursing through personal testimonies and real-world examples, compiled from literature and research. It draws on different perspectives such as Cochrane's classic text on the origins of effectiveness and efficiency in the NHS, narrative studies, autobiographical evidence, testimonies, participatory and action research, and professional and lay perspectives. It also explores specific methodologies and tools for generating evidence, as well as the theories behind them. Other topics include: evidence-based teaching; development of critical evaluation skills and strategies for practitioners to negotiate change in the current complex health care environment; and the broader issues of systems and organizational cultures that enhance or hinder the integration of evidence-based health care. Policies supporting the delivery of care are also critically examined.Fills a gap in the literature on evidence-based health care Assists the reader to think more critically about the ways in which notions of evidence are constructedCritically assesses the scope of the available methodologies and tools for generating evidence for practice Critically reviews the influences of organizational structures and culture on the practice of evidence-based health careEnables a more reflective approach to the integration of evidence in the commissioning, managing, teaching and practice of health care