NURS-FPX4030 Assessment 2 Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources Example Paper

Even as patient care evolves and the healthcare transformation is visible, change is a constant factor. With the evolution of disease processes and ingenuity in the mechanisms of some diseases, such as cancer, it is critical and prudent to embrace new practice methods. This calls for the incorporation of evidence-based research findings into nursing practice in the hopes of improving patient care quality and safety.

As the nursing profession evolves and healthcare transforms, more opportunities for nurses to engage in leadership roles that include incorporating evidence-based research findings into practice become available (Kim and colleagues, 2020). To do so, nurses must understand the criteria used to certify the credibility of resources, which is critical in deciding which to use in practice.

As a result, using evidence-based practice models to help nurses incorporate scholarly findings into practice is vital. This analysis aims to determine what factors contribute to the credibility of resources obtained to assist in solving a practical nursing scenario.

Quality, Safety, or a Chosen Diagnosis that could benefit from an Evidence-Based Approach

NURS-FPX4030 Assessment 2 Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources

The chosen diagnosis, diabetes mellitus (DM), serves as the foundation for the subsequent discussion. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic condition characterized by high blood sugar levels caused by a lack of insulin secretion, action, or both. Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are the most common types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin secretion, which usually occurs due to autoimmune destruction of the beta cells of the islet of Langerhans. Contrarily, while it can also result from insulin deficiency, the vast majority of type 2 DM cases are caused by insulin resistance in the peripheral cells (American Diabetes Association, ADA, 2020).

Diabetes epidemiology, in terms of morbidity, mortality, and treatment costs, reveals the disease’s gravity and the need for evidence-based practice to solve it. According to Sapra and Bhandari (2022), one in every eleven people worldwide has diabetes, with the vast majority (90%) having type 2 diabetes. While type 1 diabetes affects children, adolescents, and young adults, type 2 diabetes primarily affects adults. To account for the predisposition of type 1 diabetes in childhood, Sapra and Bhandari (2022) state that 45% of children with type 1 diabetes present before age ten.

The incidence of type 1 diabetes has been increasing by 2-5 percent per year in Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, and by about 2% per year in most age and ethnic groups in the United States (Sapra & Bhandari, 2022). Type 2 diabetes is estimated to affect approximately 9% of the US population, with a higher prevalence of 25% among those aged 65 and older (Sapra & Bhandari, 2022). Despite the troubling statistics, it is expected that the prevalence of diabetes will rise, with higher-income individuals being disproportionately affected.

According to the World Health Organization, diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. Diabetes accounted for 1.37 million deaths from 1990 to 2025, according to a review by Lin et al. (2020), with the number expected to rise to 1.59 million by 2025. Furthermore, on March 22, 2018, the ADA (2018) published new research stating that the total cost of diagnosed diabetes increased to $327 billion in 2017, up from $245 billion in 2012. According to this discovery, diabetes imposes a significant economic burden on society.

In addition to the complications that diabetes causes, both acute and long-term, it is only logical that an evidence-based approach is developed to reduce its burden. The good news is that most DM risk factors are avoidable and can be significantly reduced when preventive measures are implemented using evidence-based strategies. Besides being useful tools for comparing and contrasting health events and populations, analyzing diabetes morbidity, mortality, and cost trends can help determine the most appropriate health interventions for a specific population.

Criteria for Determining Credibility of Resources

It is critical to follow a specific criterion when determining the credibility of a resource. The criterion includes evaluating the resources’ currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose (CRAAP) (Columbia College, 2022). Currency refers to the resource’s timeliness, and a journal article or website published within the last five years is often recommended first.

The importance of a resource for the researcher’s needs is referred to as its relevance, and the most helpful question to ask is whether the information relates to the topic or answers the researcher’s question (Columbia College, 2022). Concerning the authority, who is the resource’s author, what are their credentials, and with which organization is the author affiliated? In terms of medical and nursing knowledge, the author should, at the very least, be an expert in a field related to nursing or medicine.

Regarding accuracy, the questions to ask are where the information comes from. Has the information been reviewed, does evidence back it up, or can it be confirmed by another source or personal knowledge? (Columbia College, 2022) Finally, the information’s purpose is an essential factor in determining the resource’s credibility.

Here, the researcher asks whether the information’s purpose is to inform, tell, or educate and whether the intention has been served. Is the information a fact, opinion, or propaganda? Some medical databases have classified journal articles based on their relevance and publication dates, making it easier to determine the credibility of a resource.

Analysis of the Credibility and Relevance of Evidence and Resources within the Context of the Chosen Diagnosis

All of the resources selected to provide evidence-based practice solutions to the patient’s problem are credible and contain high-quality information. All of the sources were authored by experts in various fields of health and were published within the last five years. Furthermore, the information in the sources has been peer reviewed/supported by evidence, making it accurate, relates to the topic and thus relevant, and verified to serve the purpose for which they were intended.

ADA (2020), Alam et al. (2021), Danne et al. (2018), Davies et al. (2018), and Lipsky et al. (2020) all address specifics of diabetes and have all met the CRAAP criteria in assessing credibility. As a result, it is safe to conclude that the sources contain evidence-based information that can be implemented as effective practices in solving the patient’s problem.

Evidence-Based Practice Model and the Importance of Incorporating Credible Evidence into the EBP Model

To use scholarly information, care providers must learn the art of leveraging evidence-based practice models. A potential change to the patient’s solution would be the use of telemedicine to ensure continuous care and education. In this case, translating evidence-based evidence into practice will necessitate using the Ottawa Model, an interactive model for transferring research knowledge into practice (Nilsen, 2020).

In the Ottawa model, the initial procedure for implementing innovation is an assessment of the barriers and supports, followed by monitoring the interventions and the degree of use, and finally, an evaluation of outcomes (Nilsen, 2020). Each stage includes several initiatives to implement innovation or guidelines and increase evidence-based practice across a healthcare setting. As the demand for quality-improvement measures to improve care quality and safety grows, so does the demand for evidence-based models or templates.