d.p replies

Respond to discussion post 100 word minimum. 1 source per response.

Post 1: During my years of nursing in the Emergency Department, I have encountered many situations involving adult patients that have been non-compliant with their physicians treatment plan. Usually, the problem is because of healthcare illiteracy. Patients present with a problem are prescribed medications and they leave the hospital or clinic. The patients I am talking about are those that return with the same problem on multiple occasions. A strategy to help these patients is supported, and its to assume that all patients lack understanding and to try and use plain language, teach back method, and visual aids to name a few (AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit, 2023).

The AHRQ Health is a credible source for information and following these concepts only further confirmed that my patients were comprehending what was being taught. This practice has only influenced me to continue to not assume that all my patients understand what is happening or what is being asked of them. It really helps keep from letting any patient slip through the cracks so that all are getting all the information they need and are understanding. The biggest barrier for many is usually time constraints and the need to move on to the next patient because there are so many at times. The goal is to help that diabetic patient understand why they may need their insulin and the importance of checking their glucose to prevent any worsening symptoms or even DKA, or that patient with hypertension and why they need to take their blood pressure pill even though they feel fine. To prevent a stroke, heart attack, and to prevent kidney disease.

Post 2: As a bedside nurse, evidence-based practice is crucial to patient safety and positive outcomes, and I often use it every day without even realizing it. One of the times in which I had to step back and consult literature and evidence was when one of my patients began experiencing a possible blood transfusion reaction. In this case, the patient had already received 2 units of packed red blood cells, and I was administering the third unit. After roughly 15 minutes, the patient began displaying vital sign changes. They became tachycardic and hypotensive with no other complaints. As we knew the patient had received blood already, we did not immediately jump to a transfusion reaction. My charge nurse, myself, and my manager all worked together to use PubMed to find a journal article about a study that was done on patients who were receiving multiple units of blood. We ensured that the article was credible by verifying the journal it originated in, confirmed it was published within the last 5 years, and ensured that it was peer-reviewed. After reading the study, we determined it best to follow the facility protocol and treat the patient for a suspected blood transfusion reaction as the study found a high rate of transfusion reaction in patients who were receiving several units of blood.

In an article in the Journal of Nursing Management, there is discussion around nursing managers and their influence on their employees to instill a culture of evidence-based practice. I think that this speaks also to the APN, those nurses who are trained to lead and to educate. This same article states that one of the biggest barriers that prevents the use of evidence-based practice is the lack of knowledge around how to locate it (Sebire et al., 2025). I do agree that one of the barriers I face now is knowing exactly how to find evidence-based, credible sources for information. Putting any sources through rigorous credibly checks is extremely important not only in academia, but also in nursing of any kind. Positive patient outcomes are always the goal, and using evidence-based practice is one of the best ways to achieve that goal.