Evidence-based practice projects result in statistically and clinically significant results during research studies. However, not all EBP projects result in statistically significant results. Clinical significance in healthcare is the practical benefits of a treatment approach to the quality of a patient’s health. Clinical significance portrays the noticeable impact of clinical practices on patients’ lives. Clinical significance and practical significance are both essential in medical research studies.
Clinical significance differs from statistical significance because statistical significance is the hypothetical probability of an evidence-based practice approach. Statistical significance tests a null hypothesis by selecting a specific level of significance expected from the treatment approach. The primary difference between clinical and statistical significance is that clinical significance reflects study results from clinical practice, while statistical significance relies on the probability of health outcomes. According to Hickman et al. (2018), study findings are statistically significant in clinical research, and clinical researchers interpret them as clinically essential. Therefore, both clinical and statistical significance is essential in EBP projects.
I can use clinical significance to support the outcome of my project by analyzing the impact of evidence-based practice on the quality of the patient’s health. Clinical significance also allows the researchers to examine the significance of the EBP approach in reducing nurse burnout. Evidence-based practice influence nurses to plan patient discharge and healthcare logistics. Patient discharge records provide practical information regarding the quality of healthcare services and patients’ health outcomes. Clinical significance also allows the researchers to examine the impacts of medical insurance on access to quality healthcare services. Therefore, clinical significance is critical in evidence-based practice projects because it shows the practical benefits of EBP on patients’ health.
Reference
Hickman, L. D., DiGiacomo, M., Phillips, J., Rao, A., Newton, P. J., Jackson, D., & Ferguson, C. (2018). Improving evidence-based practice in postgraduate nursing programs: A systematic review: Bridging the evidence-practice gap (BRIDGE project). Nurse education today, 63, 69-75.