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The evidence-based practice manual for nurses
Book/media reviews
research report identifies important questions in this regard: how far can learning be granulised before it is trivialised and ineffective, and how can learning objects support socially mediated learning? These are questions that readers of this Journal might wish to consider. Chapter five contains some important closing perspectives which are well thought out and clearly presented. One negative aspect of this section is that whilst it contains views from a variety of Human Resource Development professionals who provide a useful commentary on the report, they were presented without comment by the researchers. For instance it was not possible to know how many commented on the report, if these comments influenced the final report or will be used in any other manner at a later point. The second purpose of the report, to improve the dialogue between the research community and the practitioner, is harder to gauge. The passive medium of this report is unlikely to result in true dialogue between these two groups. To achieve this purpose will require a more active approach. Perhaps it could be used as a prompt for discussion groups between the two communities? So is this text of any great use to the majority of NET readers? This report certainly provides a succinct summary of the major learning theories and as such would make a valuable addition to a library. For some people undertaking an educational programme, the cost of the report might reflect value for money, if it was used to supplement initial sources of the theoretical literature. For readers already familiar with the main writers, the theoretical overviews are meaningful prompts and reminders. With the emergence of new educational roles such as practice education managers, who might not be fully familiar with all the theoretical perspectives as the preparation for the role is so varied, then it is important as it provides access to easily accessible literature that provides a sound theoretical underpinning. This text certainly provides this educational theoretical context in a manner that is both easily accessible and meaningful for the workplace.
ª 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
For lecturers, the price of the report for nonmembers at £50 does not reflect great value for money. However if one has CIPD membership then the £15 expenditure becomes more realistic. For educational researchers, the final section of the report identifies some interesting areas for further research.
Reference Salmon G 2000 E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning online. Kogan Page, London
Mike Cook Associate Dean Learning and Teaching St. Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery, City University London, UK doi:10.1016/S0260-6917(03)00123-0
The evidence-based practice manual for nurses Craig, Jean V. and Smyth, Rosalind L. (Eds), Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2002, ISBN: 0443 07064 4, 310 pages, Price: £19.99
What attracted me to this book, when I first saw it on the display stand was the title ‘The Evidence-Based Practice Manual for Nurses’. I then flipped the book over to the back cover and read about the key features including the statement ‘this book will appeal to nurses in all clinical settings, including those involved in post-qualification clinical courses and/or in primary or secondary research’. Clearly, here was a book that the editors and publishers believed would assist nurses by increasing their knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practice within a given clinical setting. Given the constraints that registered nurses face in their clinical practice, namely, time, money, and the need to develop and implement evidence-based practice, if this book helped, then it warranted worthy praise. Therefore, this review contains my thoughts on whether or not I think that the book will help busy clinical practice nurses.
Nurse Education Today (2003) 23, 638–642 639
Book/media reviews
A read of the contents pages demonstrates the practical image of the book. Section titles such as ‘The context for evidence based practice’, Skills for evidence-based practice’ and ‘The process of changing practice’ embark the clinical nurse on a journey to knowledge and understanding. A cry often heard from post-qualifying nurses is ‘why doesn’t the articles/book tell me how to actually do it’. This book will not let the nurse down in this regard. On reading the various chapters contained within each section I do believe that Mr William Williams the charge nurse on male urology and Ms Joan Jones the charge nurse on orthopaedics will be able to introduce evidence-based practice on the wards. I think that the credibility of the various contributing authors probably assists to maintain the practical approach (by being active researchers and also teachers within the field of evidence-based practice). How to ask research questions, where to find literature and answers to the questions (including the use of various electronic data bases and useful web sites) explicitly inform the reader how to commence evidence-based practice. The style of writing is also very easy to read. When needing a reference book to refer first year preregistration students whom I was teaching evidence-based practice to, I recommended this book. The students had no difficulty in understanding how to identify relevant clinical questions and how to gain access to suggested computer web sites. This exercise I am sure facilitated the life-long learning journey that we all want our students to undertake. The third year pre-registration students (undertaking a module on evidence-based practice) found the additional chapters on critical appraisal (including, ‘Is the quality of the studies good enough to use?’ And ‘Can the evidence be applied to your clinical practice?’) meaningful and easy to follow. Likewise, the chapters on the use of qualitative research methods and systematic reviews were of benefit. The chapters that the pre-registered nursing student could not implement I placed my imaginary self in areas of previous expertise (intensive care and accident and emergency nursing) and had myself do the exercises and recommendations suggested in the book. How
640 Nurse Education Today (2003) 23, 638–642
did it go? Yes, with support (hierarchy, middle managers, and colleagues) I felt that if I was a project leader or charge nurse implementing evidence-based practice on my ward or unit I could develop and sustain the practice. Consequently, this book fulfils the title of being a practice manual. Therefore, I will be using it as a text later on this year when I will be teaching post-qualification nurses how to develop and implement evidence-based practice on their wards or units. For me, a surprise finding contained within the book was the strong evidence ‘didactic educational meetings are not a useful route for inducing change in practice’ (p. 231). Clearly, as academics and/or educators we need to be mindful of how we teach post-qualification nurses so that clinical practice can improve. Books such as ‘The Evidence-Based Practice Manual for Nurses’ edited by Jean V. Craig and Rosalind L. Smyth will be of great help. I have no hesitation in recommending this book as a valuable educational resource for helping busy clinical practice nurses. Georgina Hawley Senior Lecturer – Research Lead, School of Health and Social Care (Swindon Campus), Oxford Brookes University Swindon SN2 1HL, UK doi:10.1016/S0260-6917(03)00124-2
Therapeutic nursing-improving patient care through self-awareness and reflection Dawn Freshwater (Ed.), Sage Publications, London. ISBN: 0 7619 7064 9, Price: £17.99 (pbk)
This book examines that highly complex and sometimes elusive area of nursing, ‘the most effective therapeutic tool the nurse possesses’ and does so largely with clarity, insight and illustration. The analytic route taken is to explore the key part played by the nurse’s selfknowledge and, in particular, the ability to evaluate oneself and its significance for patient care. Material is clearly organised into three
ª 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
research report identifies important questions in this regard: how far can learning be granulised before it is trivialised and ineffective, and how can learning objects support socially mediated learning? These are questions that readers of this Journal might wish to consider. Chapter five contains some important closing perspectives which are well thought out and clearly presented. One negative aspect of this section is that whilst it contains views from a variety of Human Resource Development professionals who provide a useful commentary on the report, they were presented without comment by the researchers. For instance it was not possible to know how many commented on the report, if these comments influenced the final report or will be used in any other manner at a later point. The second purpose of the report, to improve the dialogue between the research community and the practitioner, is harder to gauge. The passive medium of this report is unlikely to result in true dialogue between these two groups. To achieve this purpose will require a more active approach. Perhaps it could be used as a prompt for discussion groups between the two communities? So is this text of any great use to the majority of NET readers? This report certainly provides a succinct summary of the major learning theories and as such would make a valuable addition to a library. For some people undertaking an educational programme, the cost of the report might reflect value for money, if it was used to supplement initial sources of the theoretical literature. For readers already familiar with the main writers, the theoretical overviews are meaningful prompts and reminders. With the emergence of new educational roles such as practice education managers, who might not be fully familiar with all the theoretical perspectives as the preparation for the role is so varied, then it is important as it provides access to easily accessible literature that provides a sound theoretical underpinning. This text certainly provides this educational theoretical context in a manner that is both easily accessible and meaningful for the workplace.
ª 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
For lecturers, the price of the report for nonmembers at £50 does not reflect great value for money. However if one has CIPD membership then the £15 expenditure becomes more realistic. For educational researchers, the final section of the report identifies some interesting areas for further research.
Reference Salmon G 2000 E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning online. Kogan Page, London
Mike Cook Associate Dean Learning and Teaching St. Bartholomew School of Nursing and Midwifery, City University London, UK doi:10.1016/S0260-6917(03)00123-0
The evidence-based practice manual for nurses Craig, Jean V. and Smyth, Rosalind L. (Eds), Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2002, ISBN: 0443 07064 4, 310 pages, Price: £19.99
What attracted me to this book, when I first saw it on the display stand was the title ‘The Evidence-Based Practice Manual for Nurses’. I then flipped the book over to the back cover and read about the key features including the statement ‘this book will appeal to nurses in all clinical settings, including those involved in post-qualification clinical courses and/or in primary or secondary research’. Clearly, here was a book that the editors and publishers believed would assist nurses by increasing their knowledge and understanding of evidence-based practice within a given clinical setting. Given the constraints that registered nurses face in their clinical practice, namely, time, money, and the need to develop and implement evidence-based practice, if this book helped, then it warranted worthy praise. Therefore, this review contains my thoughts on whether or not I think that the book will help busy clinical practice nurses.
Nurse Education Today (2003) 23, 638–642 639
Book/media reviews
A read of the contents pages demonstrates the practical image of the book. Section titles such as ‘The context for evidence based practice’, Skills for evidence-based practice’ and ‘The process of changing practice’ embark the clinical nurse on a journey to knowledge and understanding. A cry often heard from post-qualifying nurses is ‘why doesn’t the articles/book tell me how to actually do it’. This book will not let the nurse down in this regard. On reading the various chapters contained within each section I do believe that Mr William Williams the charge nurse on male urology and Ms Joan Jones the charge nurse on orthopaedics will be able to introduce evidence-based practice on the wards. I think that the credibility of the various contributing authors probably assists to maintain the practical approach (by being active researchers and also teachers within the field of evidence-based practice). How to ask research questions, where to find literature and answers to the questions (including the use of various electronic data bases and useful web sites) explicitly inform the reader how to commence evidence-based practice. The style of writing is also very easy to read. When needing a reference book to refer first year preregistration students whom I was teaching evidence-based practice to, I recommended this book. The students had no difficulty in understanding how to identify relevant clinical questions and how to gain access to suggested computer web sites. This exercise I am sure facilitated the life-long learning journey that we all want our students to undertake. The third year pre-registration students (undertaking a module on evidence-based practice) found the additional chapters on critical appraisal (including, ‘Is the quality of the studies good enough to use?’ And ‘Can the evidence be applied to your clinical practice?’) meaningful and easy to follow. Likewise, the chapters on the use of qualitative research methods and systematic reviews were of benefit. The chapters that the pre-registered nursing student could not implement I placed my imaginary self in areas of previous expertise (intensive care and accident and emergency nursing) and had myself do the exercises and recommendations suggested in the book. How
640 Nurse Education Today (2003) 23, 638–642
did it go? Yes, with support (hierarchy, middle managers, and colleagues) I felt that if I was a project leader or charge nurse implementing evidence-based practice on my ward or unit I could develop and sustain the practice. Consequently, this book fulfils the title of being a practice manual. Therefore, I will be using it as a text later on this year when I will be teaching post-qualification nurses how to develop and implement evidence-based practice on their wards or units. For me, a surprise finding contained within the book was the strong evidence ‘didactic educational meetings are not a useful route for inducing change in practice’ (p. 231). Clearly, as academics and/or educators we need to be mindful of how we teach post-qualification nurses so that clinical practice can improve. Books such as ‘The Evidence-Based Practice Manual for Nurses’ edited by Jean V. Craig and Rosalind L. Smyth will be of great help. I have no hesitation in recommending this book as a valuable educational resource for helping busy clinical practice nurses. Georgina Hawley Senior Lecturer – Research Lead, School of Health and Social Care (Swindon Campus), Oxford Brookes University Swindon SN2 1HL, UK doi:10.1016/S0260-6917(03)00124-2
Therapeutic nursing-improving patient care through self-awareness and reflection Dawn Freshwater (Ed.), Sage Publications, London. ISBN: 0 7619 7064 9, Price: £17.99 (pbk)
This book examines that highly complex and sometimes elusive area of nursing, ‘the most effective therapeutic tool the nurse possesses’ and does so largely with clarity, insight and illustration. The analytic route taken is to explore the key part played by the nurse’s selfknowledge and, in particular, the ability to evaluate oneself and its significance for patient care. Material is clearly organised into three
ª 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.