CONTACT - Volume 8, Number 1
Scholar Lecture Showcases Best Nursing Practice

The Eight Annual Scholar Lecture by the School's Center for Nursing Research and Lambda Chi chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International was delivered by Joanne M. Youngblut, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Sarah Cole Hirsh Institute for Best Nursing Practices Based on Evidence at Case Western Reserve University's Division of Nursing. This is the only nursing institute in the country dedicated to providing the most current and scientifically reliable information on nursing practice arrived through a systematic research process.

Dr. Youngblut's presentation walked the group through the so-called "evidence pyramid" that ranks the literature according to strict rules of evidence including methodological rigor and usefulness in clinical practice. She then shared the process by which faculty and students (baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral) work together on teams to search the research literature for the best empirical information about the care of a particular patient group or problem, analyze and synthesize the research finding, and, finally, prepare the evidence based reports on best nursing practice. Dr. Youngblut clearly conveyed the importance of utilizing the nest evidence available in clinical decision making in order to improve patent care outcomes. We are now anxiously awaiting the first reports which are soon to be released.

Diane LaRochelle, Ph.D., RN, HNC
Center for Nursing Research Director