Jill Brennan-Cook, assistant professor, published "Implementing evidence-based practice in long-term care" in American Nurse, ANA's official journal. 

Excerpt

Takeaways:

• RN leaders can facilitate education initiatives and geriatric training for long-term care (LTC) staff.
• RN leaders can initiate evidence-based practice processes and lead staff in measuring outcomes.
• RN leaders can collaborate with LTC staff by valuing their input for quality improvement projects.
• RN leaders can support and recognize the entire team by advocating best practices.

Long-term care (LTC) facilities are faced with many care hurdles, including a growing geriatric population, complexities associated with chronic conditions, and an insufficient workforce. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) facilitated by nurses can bridge the gap between current and best practices and help LTC facilities overcome these hurdles.

EBP involves problem-solving that merges nurses’ clinical expertise with evidence derived from systematic research to improve patient care (in conjunction with patients’ values and preferences) and outcomes. Implementing EBP can be a challenge for any healthcare system because of limited resources, time, and knowledge. However, LTC facility challenges are unique and require innovative strategies to overcome them.