Identify a problem, issue or concern in a professional health care setting that you would like to address for your evidence-based practice project. Research current literature for evidence-based solutions to ensure there is sufficient evidence to support your proposed topic. Note: As you research, you may find there is very little research to support your topic and you will need to choose a new topic. Remember, in order for this to be an evidence-based project proposal, you must have enough evidence to introduce this as a practice change. If you find that you do not have enough supporting evidence to change a practice, then further research would need to be conducted.
Once you have determined there is sufficient research for your chosen topic, develop an initial reference list of five sources to demonstrate there is support for your evidence-based practice project. Follow the “Steps to an Efficient Search to Answer a Clinical Question” box in Chapter 3 of the textbook. Refer to the “Search Method Example” as the format in which to compile this data. The majority of references on your list should be research articles. However, national sources such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS), or the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and others may be used when you are gathering statistics to provide the rationale for the problem.
Provide a summary of the problem, include relevant background information, the current impact of the problem or issue in health care, and why it deserves attention. Provide rationale and support using professional literature sources.
Describe the practice setting where the identified issue or problem is occurring. Explain the current impact to the practice setting and the potential consequence if the problem or issue were to continue.
Identify the stakeholders who will be involved in this project. What organizations are concerned about, may benefit from, or are affected by this proposal? List the interested parties, patients, students, agencies, Joint Commission, etc.
State the purpose of the project and project objectives in specific, realistic, and measurable terms. The objectives should address what is to be gained. This will focus your PICOT statement as you develop and refine it over the next few weeks. Remember, measurements need to be taken before and after the evidence-based practice is introduced to identify the expected changes.
Summarize your proposed problem statement. A problem statement is a concise explanation of the problem or issue to be addressed and goals to be reached.
