Nursing research at Salem Health

Evidence-based Practice/Research Vision

• Research creates new evidence and evidence drives practice;
• Clinicians are supported and developed to apply the integrated EBP Lean model with their colleagues;
• Practice is continuously updated based on the best available evidence;
• When no evidence is available, research or quality improvement (QI) is conducted when knowledge is needed for practice;
• Clinicians disseminate the results of Lean/QI, EBP and research projects to internal and external audiences. Salem Health encourages poster presentations, submission of conference abstracts and publishing results.

Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice

At Salem Health we have adopted the Iowa Model of Evidence-based Practice to guide our clinical inquiry. As depicted on the diagram of the model, once a topic is vetted a priority for a team, relevant literature is critiqued. When sufficient high level evidence is available, the change in practice is piloted through our integrated EBP/Lean model. The purpose of these pilots is to ensure the same outcomes are realized for our patients that were systematically found in the research. In contrast, if our critical appraisal of the literature does not uncover sufficient evidence to guide practice, we encourage teams to base practice decisions on other types of evidence, or to conduct unit-based research to generate new evidence to inform our practice.

The Research Council (RC) is focused on enabling a structure and process for engaging clinicians in research while unleashing the talent and creativity of clinicians as they question practice and ponder the merits of current research. Fostering participation in such clinical inquiry will summon professional growth, influence the lives of patients and staff and help each clinician develop a unique personal professional legacy. The goal is to secure involvement early, educate staff through this involvement, create internal expertise for research coaches and ensure patients and staff experience implementation of research-based practices to improve their lives. 

Current research