Developing a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice

Disseminating evidence-based practice information to patients, public, healthcare organizations, and healthcare professionals is essential in the improvement of patient and population health. Evidence-based practice (EBP) focuses on vital elements that may assist in creating a highly integrated healthcare environment where it is possible o achieve better healthcare outcomes. The EBP often focuses on a particular problem in which comparison can be made between the results obtained from the current and previous studies.  Therefore, dissemination of EBP can be assessed based on various settings, particularly where the practice will be applied. Dissemination refers to the targeted distribution of information and intervention materials to a particular public health or clinical practice audience. The aim is to spread knowledge and related evidence-based interventions (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). There are several modes of dissemination that can be used to communicate EBP to the organization, such as unit-level or organizational-level presentations, poster presentations, and podium presentations at organizational, local, regional, state, and national levels, as well as publication in peer-reviewed journals. In this paper, the focus is on unit-level presentations and podium presentations at the local level.

Unit-Level Presentations

This form or EBP dissemination is desirable because it will ensure that various issues within the healthcare unit are considered to assist unit managers and other healthcare professionals in improving the underlying problem within the unit (Harvey & Kitson, 2015). In this case, different units within the organization may have a varied assessment of the operational healthcare environment. As a result, there is the need to consider the context under which the EBP will take place. Therefore, making sure that various stakeholders within the unit are engaged is strategic as it may assist in ensuring that, based on the result, the best intervention that is considered is unit-based (Brownson, Colditz, & Proctor, 2018). Through unit-level dissemination, the organization will communicate unit-based information concerning various interventions that result in performance improvement within the unit. Lastly, disseminating EBP within the unit in the healthcare organization will ensure that EBP eradicates the uncertainty risk, which is vital in achieving better healthcare outcomes.

 Podium Presentations at the Local Level

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Podium presentation at the local level is best for disseminating EBP information because it includes significant stakeholders at the local level, which can help in the provision of a strong emphasis on organizational development. However, when using this mode of disseminating EBP, it is crucial to make sure that communication of the outcomes is undertaken in a setting with resources and technical ability to achieve better results (Brownson, Colditz, & Proctor, 2018). However, skills and understanding among the population might prove to e problematic in successfully implementing the developed EBP. Therefore, there is the need to manage the desires of the players, which is vital and can assist in institutional planning and when planning for service delivery.  Moreover, the implementation of EBP should put more emphasis on developing a profoundly transformed healthcare setting where it is easier to implement positive changes (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2018). As a result, training and educating critical players on how to implement EBP is recommended.

The least inclined dissemination strategies to be utilized when communicating EBP include poster presentation and publication in peer-reviewed journals. Notably, poster presentations may not offer enough information. Sometimes, poster presentations may not be engaging and interesting thus may lose the objective of the presentation. Besides, publication in peer-reviewed journals may attract poor turnout for key stakeholders because not every stakeholder can access peer-reviewed journals. Some require subscription, which most people often avoid.

One of the barriers that can be encountered from unit-level presentations is the lack of interest from key stakeholders such as unit staff. A good example is in a case where the staff members resist change that needs to be implemented within the unit because they do not like the change. The best way to overcome this barrier is by involving all staff members and telling them why the change is needed and how they contribute to its success (Harvey & Kitson, 2015). For example, one member of staff can be included as key speakers during the presentation. Moreover, one of the barriers that can be encountered in podium presentations at the local level is an inadequate audience from the local community to participate in the presentation. However, this barrier can be overcome by encouraging the local stakeholders to take the presentation seriously and explaining the benefits of attending the presentation.