The medical field is developing rapidly, and as science makes significant advancements, it is only reasonable to make sure that newly acquired knowledge is translated into practice. The implementation of new methods which take origin in relevant, robust research is called evidence-based practice. This essay will discuss the advantages and particularities of evidence-based practice and will also examine patient-oriented and disease-oriented research.
Evidence-based practice does not only help to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and bedside care but also eliminates the possibility of double standards. This approach facilitates the promotion of scientific knowledge and contributes to the creation of better healthcare guidelines (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2014). For medical practitioners, the introduction of EBP means continuing education so that they expand their scope of expertise and refine their competencies.
The concepts of patient-oriented and disease-oriented research are related to evidence-based practice. Patient-oriented research is seen as a scientific method that would help to rid the discrepancy between theoretical knowledge and medical practice. Within this type of research, a physician should seek for the expression of disease in a patient while perceiving him or her in his wholeness – as opposed to studying body parts and tissues in a laboratory (Carayon et al. 2014).
The disease-based research is the opposite of patient-centeredness: it prescribes medical practitioners to see individuals as “cases” while ignoring contributing sociocultural and humanistic factors.
In many countries, healthcare experts observe a situation when due to the lack of comprehensive legislation, health providers base quality standards upon what is convenient and habitual as opposed to relevant and efficient. While patient-oriented researchers consider a variety of factors when studying a diseased person, evidence-based practice ensures implementation in the workplace. Focusing on diseases while ignoring a person’s complexity was found to be a receipt for failure in a long perspective.
References
Carayon, P., Wetterneck, T. B., Rivera-Rodriguez, A. J., Hundt, A. S., Hoonakker, P., Holden, R., & Gurses, A. P. (2014). Human factors systems approach to healthcare quality and patient safety. Applied Ergonomics, 45(1), 14-25.
LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2014). Nursing research-e-book: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. St. Louis, MI: Elsevier Health Sciences.