Evidence – based practice
Nurses practice their profession by using their knowledge. For a long time, nurses obtain most of their knowledge from experiences, rituals, customs, or they rely on information provided by nurses before them. It was realized that this way of acquiring knowledge is not always the best practice. According to the video by Laureate education (2012), it was not until the 1990’s and beyond that evidence – based practice came into the picture. Evidence –based practice (EBP) is a way to approach creating a plan of care in which best evidence is used in conjunction with clinician’s expertise and the patient’s values and desires (Polit and Beck, 2017). A clinical experience I encounter that I believe is not evidence – based is the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder at my facility. The policy states that patients have stay out of their rooms and attend groups around the clock. They are not allowed to go to their rooms when they please, nor they are allowed to go outside for fresh air. This policy is counter to the needs of a depressed person. Not only do the patients are suffering from the side effects of antidepressant medications, but they also do not have any control over their environment. It is understood that being outside is good for everyone. In fact, according to Jordan (2015), Stanford researchers discovered that being in nature has positive effects in the human body and may reduce the risk of depression.
PICOT Question
In patients with major depressive disorder, what is the effect of allowing nature therapy along with medications compared to medications alone over one year?
