How can a nurse who practices in the clinical area find out what the best practices are for that specialty?
A) Create a critique of available literature.
B) Critique expert opinion papers on the subject.
C) Develop a summary of all research on the topic.
D) Read published meta-analyses.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Meta-analysis goes beyond the review by performing statistical analyses with combined data. Reading and evaluating meta-analyses assist the practicing nurse in learning the latest evidence-based practices for a given clinical problem.
Writing a critique of the available literature is conducting a literature review. Not all literature will be helpful in learning best practices for clinical problems.
Expert opinion papers do not necessarily discuss or provide evidence for best practices.
Writing a summary of the literature review may be very helpful, but it would be the review itself, not the actual writing of the review, that would be helpful.

How Can a Nurse Who Practices in the Clinical Area