A nurse manager guiding staff nurses in EBP should direct them to use systematic reviews, meta-analyses, RCTs, clinical guidelines, and antibiograms, which represent the strongest forms of clinical evidence for effective healthcare practices.
When directing a team of staff nurses working on solving a clinical problem through evidence-based practice (EBP), a nurse manager should encourage looking to the strongest clinical evidence. The highest levels include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which provide the most reliable and valid evidence for clinical practices. The manager's statements should focus on these robust forms of evidence to inform practice decisions and promote outcomes that are both effective and efficient.
Furthermore, clinical guidelines and recommendations from renowned health organizations can also be considered strong evidence, particularly when they synthesize findings from multiple studies. Additionally, the manager could mention the use of antibiograms, as indicated by the study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, to improve empiric antibiotic prescribing practices in skilled nursing facilities. By doing so, the nursing staff can rely on localized antibacterial resistance patterns, enhancing the appropriateness of their clinical decisions.