CLC Assignment: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Project Student Guide The final course of your program will require you to develop and implement an evidence-based practice (EBP) guideline. This is your opportunity to learn the process and perhaps even identify an area of interest. Your choice of a topic for the capstone course should be related to your area of specialty. Each course you take will provide you with the opportunity to investigate theory and empirical literature to identify the relevant evidence you will need to complete this project. In NUR-504, students engage in an EBP group project throughout the course. Group work has benefits and liabilities. Everyone assigned to a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) is expected to participate equally in the work in terms of time and quality of effort. The assignment should be apportioned to make the best use of the strengths of individual team members. Honest communication is critical to effective group work. The best way to avoid conflict is to set very clear expectations at the outset. If a group member does not do what is expected (previously agreed to), the group member should be referred to the original agreement for clarification, rather than engaging in a confrontation that may become personal. At the end of the project, students will have an opportunity to evaluate each other. These peer evaluations will be taken into consideration when grading individuals within the group. Course faculty are able to observe the process in the CLC Forum. If your work takes place outside the forum, this information will not be available. Be certain, even if you communicate via e-mail, phone, or face-to-face, to record the communication in the CLC Forum. EBP Project Outline The outline below includes the key deliverables for the CLC group project. Individual assignments and discussion requirements are provided on the course syllabus. If you have questions after reviewing the course materials, please contact your instructor for clarity. Topic 1: No CLC project assignments are due in Topic 1. Check into your CLC group. Describe your prior experience with evidence-based practice (EBP) including participation in developing EBP guidelines or protocols for changing practice. Prepare for your upcoming Topic 2 assignment, the Collaborative Learning Community (CLC): EBP Agreement, by reviewing the "CLC Agreement." In the CLC Forum, discuss and provide responses for each component of the "CLC Agreement." © 2016. Grand Canyon University. All Rights Reserved. Group members should provide contact information and determine tasks in the Project Management Specifics section for which they will be responsible. Complete the "CLC Agreement," except for the CLC Group Review Process section, which will be completed at the end of the project. Choose one member to input the CLC’s responses for all sections of the form. Submit the completed CLC Agreement to the instructor at the end of Topic 2. Topic 2: The Collaborative Learning Community (CLC): EBP Agreement is due in Topic 2. Prepare for your upcoming Topic 4 assignment, Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Identification of Clinical Question, by brainstorming and initiating conversation regarding potential topics of interest. Remember to record all communication in the CLC Forum. The project should focus on a nursing-related problem related to nursing practice, advance practice, leadership, or education. Identify several topics of interest and have individual group members do a quick survey of the literature to be sure that there is sufficient evidence available. In order to develop a guideline/protocol, you will need credible resources. The course readings include all of the information needed to complete this project. Chapters 1 and 2 of the Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice textbook provide the necessary information regarding EBP and how to find evidence. In Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice, the section “Resources for EvidenceBased Practice” in Chapter 2 will be very valuable. Chapter 5 provides strategies for locating and assessing credible information. The sooner you read these chapters with the project in mind, the easier it will be to complete the project. Topic 3: No CLC project assignments are due in Topic 3. Continue to prepare for your upcoming Topic 4 assignment, Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Identification of Clinical Question. Remember to record all communication in the CLC Forum. Refer to Figure 2.2 in the Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice textbook for the EBP process model you will use to complete this project. Please note that you will not complete the entire process in this model. You will reach the step that begins “Pilot the change in practice.” As a group, finalize your choice of topic. Make sure to review the literature regarding clinical problems presented in the previous topic in order to ensure that there is adequate evidence for your choice. State your topic in the form of a foreground question and a problem statement. Chapter 4 in the Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice textbook will serve as an appropriate resource for framing the foreground question and problem statement. Choose one group member to submit the completed assignment and the initial reference list to the instructor by the end of Topic 4. 2 Topic 4: The Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Identification of Clinical Question assignment is due. Prepare for your upcoming Topic 5 assignment, Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Literature Search/Appraisal of Evidence. Remember to record all communication in the CLC Forum. Use the evidence hierarchy pyramid provided in Figure 2.1 in the Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice textbook as a guide for the levels of evidence in your reference list. Locate case studies, relevant clinical articles written by experts, research articles, evidence-based guidelines, protocols, and theories that may guide the identification of appropriate solutions. This can include the articles reviewed in Topic 3. Note: Not all theories will have research that allows them to have a level assigned to them. This does not mean they are not good theories. A true proposal would require a comprehensive review of the literature and inclusion of all relevant works. Appraise the evidence using the guidelines provided in the Nursing Research: Generating and Assessing Evidence for Nursing Practice textbook. Use these guidelines to discard references that are untrustworthy or irrelevant. Box 2.2 can help with this decision-making process. Chapter 5 provides guidance on how to synthesize the article findings. Use the assigned Topic Material, “CLC EBP Research Table,” to consolidate and present the findings. Limit the articles to no more than 10 (two per student in the CLC group would be reasonable). Choose one group member to submit the completed assignment by the end of Topic 5. Topic 5: The Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Literature Search/Appraisal of Evidence assignment is due. Topic 6: No CLC project assignments are due in Topic 6. Prepare for your upcoming Topic 7 assignment, Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Develop Clinical Guideline and Implementation Plan, by initiating development of a guideline or protocol based on your search of the literature. Remember to record all communication in the CLC Forum. Consider how to implement the intervention to test the protocol. Identify potential barriers and describe strategies to gain cooperation from individuals who will be implementing the change. Refer back to the foreground question and problem statement you developed and submitted earlier in the course, as well as the research synthesis. Use these components to develop the clinical protocol and the implementation plan, including a timeline with criteria for evaluating the outcomes. 3 Topic 7: The Collaborative Learning Community: EBP Development Guidelines and Implementation Plan assignment is due. Prepare for your upcoming Topic 8 discussion—Topic 8 DQ 1: EBP Project Forum—by identifying one CLC group member who will post the completed assignment in Topic 8 discussion forum. Topic 8: Topic 8 DQ 1: EBP Project Forum is due in the Main Forum, as directed by the course syllabus. 4