Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Assignment: Current Trends and Issues in Medical-Surgical Nursing

Purpose:

This assignment will give students the opportunity to examine the research and find evidenced based nursing practice that is related to current trends and issues in medical-surgical nursing. Students will apply that research in developing a nursing care plan that will help promote health for a medicalsurgical client. This assignment contains 3 parts completed in two components. First, you will write a scholarly paper on a procedure or trend/issue that impacts the health of a medical-surgical client. Second, you will then apply your scholarly paper findings/research to describe how the evidence best supports the change of a nursing procedure/trend/issue and the impact of the change on the health outcomes of the client. Third, this evidence will then be applied in a nursing care plan for a theoretical medical-surgical client.

The following General learning outcomes apply to this assignment:

• Integrate the nursing metaparadigm, nursing theories, and related knowledge into nursing practice in providing holistic care for the medical/surgical client

• Integrate concepts of self-care and nurse-client synergy when providing medical/surgical nursing care and promoting health

• Apply principles of teaching and learning related to the medical/surgical client

• Incorporate research findings in evidence-informed practice in the delivery of medical/surgicalnursing care

Part A:

1. Select a topic from the list below or you may select a topic that interests you, but speak with your instructor first if you are choosing your own topic.

a. Care and use of different types of chest tubes (e.g., wet/dry/Heimlich valves).
b. Increasing incidents of a super infection (ESBL, BRE, and MRSA) in the acute care setting and how these can be avoided. Choose one super infection to focus on.
c. Types and trends of post-operative infections in the acute care setting in Alberta.
d. Clean vs sterile techniques for tracheostomy care, bladder irrigation, or intermittent catheterization.
e. Preventing complications such as DVTs, respiratory complications, and skin breakdown in the immobilized acute care client (skeletal traction, external fixators, strict bed rest etc.). Choose one complication to focus on.
f. Issues of early discharge of the post-operative client from the acute care setting.

2. Research your topic of choice.
a. Provide a brief description of the procedure or trend/issue that impacts medical-surgical client.
b. Compare procedure or trend/issue with previous practice in medical-surgical nursing.
c. Describe the evidence-based practice that promotes the health of the medical-surgical client in the hospital or following their discharge home. Support with literature.
d. Identify health teaching information that promotes the health of the medical-surgical client specific to the chosen procedure/trend/issue. Support with literature.