Evidence-Based Practice and Improving the Quality of Care

Evidence-Based Practice
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Evidence-Based Practice
Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), which involves the collection and analysis of clinical research to improve clinical practice, is a competence that every healthcare practitioner, and especially nurses, should possess (Saunders, Gallagher-Ford, & Vehvilainen-Julkunen, 2019). Healthcare professionals often have to work in situations where they have limited access to resources, yet improving the quality of patient care is paramount. This necessitates EBP. The case study presented by Lee (n.d.) about improving care in rural Rwanda at a time when the staff was poorly motivated, resistant to change, and had limited resources, raises several questions, two of which will be addressed in this paper.
Questions
What is the role of leadership in improving the quality of care?
How does job satisfaction and engagement affect the quality of care?
Using Evidence to Answer the Questions
The first question deals with leadership and how it impacts the quality of patient care. Often, nurses and other healthcare practitioners work under the leadership of someone. There are many different approaches to leadership and each can influence followers differently. The article by Boamah, Spence Laschinger, Wong, and Clarke (2017) answers the first question since it examines the role of transformational leadership not only in improving patient outcomes, but also staff job satisfaction. As the article reveals, transformational leadership involves motivating followers to do more than is required of them because a transformational leader can cultivate respect and trust from followers. The transformational leader inspires motivation, has individual consideration, stimulates followers intellectually, and influences them by being a role model. The article reveals that in healthcare, transformational leadership creates favorable work environments where workers are empowered to provide the best care to patients. Transformational leaders can improve patient outcomes and quality of care because the staff is highly motivated and they understand how their work contributes to the overall goals of the hospital. Also, transformational leaders listen to their staff and tend to their staff either through mentorship or coaching (Boamah, Spence Laschinger, Wong, & Clarke, 2017). The case study also demonstrates how leadership can influence patient outcomes and quality of care. For instance, Lee (n.d.) indicates that at the hospital in rural Rwanda, he not only listened as the staff talked about their losses and past experiences but also mentored them. This was transformational leadership on his part and can explain why the staff was able to improve their performance within the eight weeks he worked with them, yet they had been unable to do the same before, even though they knew change was needed. The article by Boamah, Spence Laschinger, Wong, and Clarke, (2017) reveals that effective leadership is instrumental in a...