Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources
The complexities of healthcare presentations sometimes confer considerable management challenges to healthcare providers. Safe and effective management will depend on the utilization of evidence-based and scientifically proven approaches. The credibility of scientific pieces of research and literature is fundamental in this course. This discussion details the credibility determination criterion for the context of a personal practice in which a sentinel event occurred
Safety Issue Identification
Sentinel events in healthcare remain one of the most devastating healthcare events to both the patient and the provider. An example of a sentinel event in healthcare is the death of a patient after a session of chemotherapy. Multiple deaths of patients post-chemotherapy have been reported. These deaths are mostly treatment-related and are majorly attributable to drug toxicities. Such events can be reduced by utilizing current and evidence-based practices in healthcare that inform patient management before, during, and after chemotherapy sessions (Stone, 2019). Current evidence-based practices improve previously used approaches and are targeted at enhancing patient safety and the efficiency of care processes.
Criteria for Determining the Credibility of Resources
Determination of the credibility of resources as references for evidence-based practice is key. The criteria for determining the credibility of online resources are currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. Currency details the timelines of the information documented in these resources. Relevance defines the importance of the information as per the needs. Authority refers to the source from which the information was obtained. Accuracy is how truthful or correct the information in the resource is, while purpose details the reason for the existence of that information (Currie et al., 2019). All these components offer a framework to which the credibility of resources in healthcare can be ascertained.
Credibility of Resources
Proper patient management during chemotherapy sessions is key to preserving the health of these individuals. According to Wang (2020), management often begins pre-chemo and continues even after the completion of the chemotherapy. Beaver & Magnan (2018) reinforce the need for post-chemotherapy management. Strategies mainly target minimizing the side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs and preventing detrimental effects that may result. Administering post-chemotherapy medications is the cornerstone of post-chemotherapy management. These medications target to relieve the side effects of chemotherapy drugs. Patient monitoring is also key in this phase as it enables early identification and treatment of otherwise detrimental side effects of chemotherapy drugs. These two resources addressing patient management in chemotherapy attain the required level of credibility. This is because they are current (2020 and 2018), relevant to the identified health issue, and accurate. The articles also exhibit authority since they are peer-reviewed and purposeful.
Evidence-Based Practice Models
Several evidence-based practice models have been discussed. The Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice model is such a model that can be employed in problem resolution at healthcare delivery points. This model details the sequential processes of executing a change during patient management. Identifying the practice question is the first step postulated in this model. Accordingly, this is followed by gathering evidence and then carrying out a translation process consisting of planning, implementing, evaluating, and communicating (Gawlinski & Rutledge, 2018). In this context, the problem is that a patient died after receiving chemotherapy. Evidence gathered will be on the causes of death during and after chemotherapy sessions. Upon establishing these causes, appropriate changes will be effected in the management plan of chemotherapy patients, after which the effected change will be evaluated. Subsequently, this will be followed by communication with other healthcare providers. The incorporation of credible evidence is key to ensuring the overall safety of the intervention. Credible resources will give accurate information on the safety and efficiency of any healthcare interventions. It is, therefore, necessary that only credible resources be used in informing healthcare decisions.
Proper patient management during chemotherapy sessions ensures the preservation of the lives of these patients. Evidence-based practice has been employed in the management interventions of these patients. Ascertaining the credibility of these resources is necessary for the overall maintenance of safety and effectiveness of care interventions. Several evidence-based practice models have be