Assignment: Reflect on how EBP might impact (or not impact) the Quadruple Aim in healthcare.
Consider the impact that EBP may have on factors impacting these quadruple aim elements, such as preventable medical errors or healthcare delivery.
To Complete:
Write a brief analysis (no longer than 2 pages) of the connection between EBP and the Quadruple Aim.
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Sample Answer Guide:
Evidence-Based Practice and the Quadruple Aim
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a method of providing healthcare services that involves considering the best available research and guidelines associated with specific clinical situations. It involves the integration of scientific evidence, clinical experience and patient values and preferences in the practice of professional nursing care. EBP has gained ground in management, policy formation, education and nursing practice since its formal introduction in the 1990s. The main aim of EBP is to ensure that patients are provided with high-quality and safe healthcare services for high chances of success. It embraces an interprofessional model where shared decision-making is greatly emphasized and nurses have widely embraced a positive attitude towards EBP. The quadruple aim has four major goals mainly: improving patient experience, population health, the work-life of healthcare providers and reducing healthcare-associated costs. However, a major setback is achieving these goals in the wider health sector, improving population health while at the same time containing or reducing healthcare-related costs, which require a high level of efficiency and effectiveness.
The connection between Evidence-based practice and the Quadruple Aim
Regarding the patient experience, evidence indicates that EBP enhances patient outcomes. Due to EBP’s emphasis on problem-solving, there is an emphasis on the use of current best practices derived from clinical experience, well-designed studies, and patient values and preferences. Consequently, patient safety increases and clinical outcomes improve.
EBP can be empowering for nurse practitioners who are experiencing symptoms of burnout. In addition, evidence suggests that when practitioners employ EBP, patient experience results improve (Sikka, Morath, & Leape 2015). Since EBP improves the patient experience, there is a close relationship between EBP and the quality of care provided to patients. EBP enhances population health as well by striving to identify, analyze, and convey community and population health needs. In addition, it aspires to promote, develop, and support healthy public policy through the use of the finest healthcare practices and research. Therefore, EBP is vital for enhancing population health.
Additionally, Evidence based practice reduces the cost of healthcare through translating research into practices, so focusing on cost reduction via the decrease of length of stay and the prevention of hospital-acquired infections (Crabtree, Brennan, Davis, and Coyle, 2016). The use of evidence ensures that patients receive care that directly addresses their requirements, resulting in a decrease in healthcare costs. Also, it prevents healthcare practitioners from experiencing burnout, allowing them to devote the majority of their energy to providing effective healthcare.
As such, EBP is vital to attaining quadruple aims (West 2016). It guarantees that each of these objectives is met by emphasizing the provision of the finest knowledge that the healthcare professional may employ to give the best care.
References
Crabtree, E., Brennan, E., Davis, A., & Coyle, A. (2016). Improving Patient Care Through Nursing Engagement in Evidence‐Based Practice. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing, 13(2), 172-175.
Sikka, R., Morath, J. M., & Leape, L. (2015). The Quadruple Aim: care, health, cost and meaning in work.
West, C. P. (2016). Physician well-being: expanding the triple aim.
