Final answer:
A nurse provides evidence-based care by using current, scientifically valid evidence to inform clinical decision-making, often involving collaborative team reviews and standardized protocols for patient safety.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse is providing evidence-based care when he or she utilizes the most current and scientifically valid evidence to inform and support their decision-making in clinical practice. This includes not just adhering to hospital procedure book guidelines or carrying out protocols from nursing school, but critically evaluating and applying the best available evidence from professional journals, texts, and peer-reviewed research. Moreover, evidence-based practices involve teamwork, such as when a nurse reviews procedures aloud with the team, ensuring everything from the needle and sponge counts to the proper labeling of specimens is in order.
Nurses under direct supervision are responsible for the precise execution of their roles, such as in dialysis treatments. This precision and adherence to procedure are crucial for patient safety, as demonstrated in Dr. Pronovost's checklist experiment for ICU doctors, which improved safety by standardizing practices. The nurse is providing evidence-based care when he or she knows that the practice has been published in a professional journal or text. Evidence-based care is the practice of using the best available evidence, such as research studies published in professional journals, to inform clinical decision-making and guide patient care. By staying updated with the latest research and relying on evidence-based practices, nurses can provide the highest quality of care to their patients.