Assessment 2: Determining Credibility and Evidence of Resources
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NURS-FPX 4030
Determining Credibility and Evidence of Resources
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a leading public health concern because of its progressive nature and the complexity of its management. Effective treatment involves the implementation of evidence-based practices that are informed by current studies. This paper will discuss the application of the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice in COPD and how the use of credible evidence improves patient results (Ferrera et al., 2021). By systematically assessing and applying related research, healthcare professionals can guarantee that COPD care is effective. Additionally, this approach allows care strategies to be adaptive to change medical standards.
Diagnosis to Benefit from Evidence-based Approach
COPD is an advancing lung disorder defined by slowly worsening breathing problems. It includes two basic diseases: emphysema which relates to the destruction of the air sacs in the lungs leading to the hindrance of airflow. The second condition is chronic bronchitis, which relates to coughing with mucus production for at least three months in a year (Prasad, 2020). According to the World Health Organization, COPD is the third major cause of death worldwide, affecting over 384 million people (AL Wachami et al., 2024). The various symptoms and progression rates of COPD require highly personalized treatment strategies. It is important to center on evidence-based practice it allows for the incorporation of new research findings to accommodate treatment plans that improve patient outcomes. This approach addresses the specific aspects of each case, thereby best care and improving the quality of life for individuals with this complex condition.
Rationale for Evidence-Based Approach
COPD by nature presents important variations in symptoms, its advancement, and therefore the need to grasp an evidence-based approach to managing this disease. The process of applying treatments based on the most up-to-date and strong evidence guarantees that interventions are both effective and efficient. This approach improves quality of life and possibly slows disease progression (Cheng et al., 2021). The application of evidence-based guidelines enables the clinician to implement standardized care where appropriate. This standardization supports the customization of treatment based on individual patient responses and needs. This approach is important in making sure that patients do not receive a deficient or increased level of care, which may result in worsened health and added expenses. A study by Fu et al. (2022) shows that evidence-based approaches for COPD show the importance of true diagnosis and proper assessment of disease severity. Additionally, they also point out the modified use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. According to a study by Atwood et al. (2022), incorporating evidence-based practice importantly improves outcomes in COPD patients by best medication use and improving cooperation to recommended lifestyle changes like smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation.
Criteria for Assessing Credibility of Sources
When assessing evidence for clinical decision-making in COPD management, it’s necessary to analyze the credibility of sources such as journal articles and websites. Some of the criteria include authorship, peer review, currency, references, and purpose by the use of the CRAAP test (Atwood et al., 2022). The authors should have related qualifications and be affiliated with the right institute, making the information presented more credible. The use of articles in peer-reviewed journals allows a precise evaluation by field experts, improving their reliability. Also, the publication date is important; the last source is better because of the increased rate of development of medical treatments, which is relevant only when dealing with key works. A well-cited article will use up-to-date and authoritative references, showing a thorough review of the present literature (Ferrera et al., 2021). Understanding the intent behind a publication helps assess potential biases and guarantees the resource’s appropriateness for clinical use. Additionally, identifying the target audience can further improve this evaluation.
A study by Singh, (2021) demonstrated that applying these criteria identifies a peer-reviewed journal article discussing a new pharmacological treatment for COPD. If written by authors specialized in respiratory medicine, within the previous few years, and with high citation rates, such an article would surely be considered highly credible. This would be most applicable if it speaks to specific outcomes. For example, lowering exacerbation frequency or improving medication compliance, are vital aspects of COPD care. Assessing the relevance of evidence affects checking the study’s findings to guarantee they fit with desired clinical improvements. Additionally, it requires verifying that the targeted population is invariable. For example, evidence that shows that a new treatment decreases the number of COPD worsening would be relevant and valuable for clinical decision-making (Contoli et al., 2020). By appraising the evidence for credibility and relevance, healthcare professionals can importantly improve patient care and outcomes in COPD management.
Credibility and Relevance Evidence and Resources
When developing an extensive care plan for COPD, the use of all available evidence guarantees the safety of patients and the quality of their care. An imperative evaluation of evidence therefore deals with the credibility and relevance of resources designed for the contemporary and complicated nature of COPD. For example, when assessing treatment plans like the employment of long-acting bronchodilators, highly successful resources include Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) published in well-known medical journals (Mammen et al., 2020). These analyses are conducted and published in peer-reviewed academic and scientific journals, and the studies usually employ large samples. This further increases their reliability and applicability across populations of patients.
A study by Chai et al. (2023) presented a novel systematic review regarding the comparative effectiveness of different bronchodilators in terms of aggravation rates and quality of life improvement in patients with COPD. It is such a review that pools data across multiple RCTs, thereby giving an overall overview of outcomes so that clinicians can make an informed decision on what is the best treatment. The selection of this systematic review as the basis of treatment planning provides a guarantee that the care is supported by synthesized evidence from multiple high-quality studies. It ultimately enhances better therapeutic outcomes in COPD patients and, at the same time, guarantees that the essence of the treatment conducted parallels the principles of evidence-based practice (Chai et al., 2023). Thus, this approach not only covers the problems related to quality and safety in COPD treatment but also meets current clinical protocols and reaches the highest level of patient-centered care.
Evidence-Based Credible Model
Incorporating credible evidence into an EBP model is important in managing COPD, especially through models like the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice. This model provides an organized approach to incorporate up-to-date research findings into clinical protocols, guaranteeing that patient care is both current and effective. The Iowa Model starts with the assessment of a clinical problem, which in this care, is COPD (Wilson et al., 2022). The next step involves collecting a considerable amount of related and credible evidence and stressing the methodological quality of the sources used. This includes using peer-reviewed research articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. For example, evidence on the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation in improving the quality of life of COPD patients can be incorporated into the clinical management of the patients.
Applying this model can importantly improve COPD outcomes by guaranteeing that interventions, such as the improvement of inhaler techniques, are based on strong evidence. Additionally, it supports the implementation of smoking cessation programs with a solid evidence base (Wilson et al., 2022). Each phase of the model—from problem identification to the evaluation of practice changes—guarantees that the care provided is customized to meet the specific needs of COPD patients. It finally improves patient outcomes and quality of care.
Conclusion
The application of the Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice in managing COPD pays special attention to the substantiated and credible evidence as the basis for clinical decisions. It also helps in improving the quality of care and patient safety as well as their overall results. Ideally, by updating the current practice with recent research findings in COPD, healthcare providers can deal with the dynamic challenges associated with the disease optimally. Lastly, this structured approach to evidence-based practice guarantees COPD management plans are effective and sustainable for the patient’s benefit resulting in improved COPD-related health status of patients.
References
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Chai, C.-S., Ng, D.-L.-C., Sumastika Bt Mos, Muhammad Amin Ibrahim, Tan, S.-B., Pang, Y.-K., & Chong Kin Liam. (2023). COPD exacerbations and patient-reported outcomes according to post-bronchodilator FEV1 – A post-hoc analysis of pooled data. BioMed Central Pulmonary Medicine, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12890-023-02436-1
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Mammen, M. J., Lloyd, D. R., Kumar, S., Ahmed, A. S., Pai, V., Kunadharaju, R., Gupta, S., Nici, L., Aaron, S. D., & Alexander, P. E. (2020). Triple therapy versus dual or monotherapy with long-acting bronchodilators for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 17(10), 1308–1318. https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202001-023OC
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Wilson, L., Thaxton, C., & Smith, M. (2022). Evaluation of an evidence-based algorithm for patients with acute respiratory failure: A Quality Improvement Project the DNP scholarly project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of nursing practice in the graduate school. https://twu-ir.tdl.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0ce70411-5b91-4319-860b-3f79e478d8a1/content
