Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a patient-oriented method of healthcare, which requires the integration of the evidence from various researches into practice. Moreover, it also includes the patient’s input on the treatment method. EBP has to consider the patient’s preferences and values before announcing the medical decision. There are advantages and disadvantages to this approach to healthcare. On the one hand, it is the patient who knows their health history better than anyone. They understand what medical methods work the most effectively for them and what does not work at all. On the other hand, in most cases, the patient does not have any medical qualifications to participate in the medical decision-making, which increases the risk of assigning the wrong healthcare method.
The proposal of my evidence-based project is “Hypertension in African-Americans: managing the risks through the Get Well Networks Hypertension Prevention Education Materials.” I will evaluate the relationship between the rise in the incidence of high blood pressure in African Americans and lifestyle and whether this relationship can be altered through coaching. Scordo and Pickett (2015) list the main requirements for treating and managing hypertension.
These include lifestyle changes, such as weight control, a healthy diet (for example, reducing salt intake), and regular physical exercises that significantly reduce the risk of hypertension. Moreover, heavy alcohol and tobacco consumption are huge cardiovascular risk factors that the patient should consider. To some extent, the patient has responsibility for the course of their treatment; however, there are some difficulties in implementing the evidence-based practice.
The particular limitation to maintaining one’s lifestyle by oneself is that the patient might not have the resources or mental strength to do that. For example, patients with alcohol and nicotine addictions will not break their habits without professionals supervising them. Another example is that people with physical disabilities cannot be expected to perform complex physical activities every day; they need to be advised what exercises will suit them better.
There are other approaches to implementing EBP while treating a patient. Scordo and Pickett (2015) developed eight principles in treating hypertension that are based on evidence-based practices. One of the principles states that medical care should “consider costs of diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment” (p. 32). This principle raises an ethical question that needs to be addressed before the EBP is implemented. From one perspective, healthcare management should always consult with the patient whether the latter can afford the treatment. It is a crucial step for patients from low-income families, and the doctors need to be as transparent with them as they can in terms of the treatment they are providing.
However, such an approach provokes another ethical issue to appear. By treating the patients differently according to their financial situation, the healthcare management might develop bias or even participate in unscrupulous practices such as taking on patients from an upper social-economic class. This leaves the low-income patients without proper medical attention that could be fatal. The extent of this ethical issue depends on the country; however, it might reach its peak within the reality of the American healthcare system.
Overall, evidence-based practice is an excellent approach to healthcare because it allows direct collaboration with the patient and constant improvement of the treatment through evidence from the researches. However, specific issues such as a patient being underqualified to provide navigation in the treatment process, and their financial stability depending on the quality of treatment they receive highly undermine the sustainability of EBP.
Reference
Scordo, K. A., & Pickett, K. A. (2015). Managing hypertension: Piecing together the guidelines. Nursing, 45(1), 28-33. Web.