WGU Nursing: Scholarship in Nursing Practice (D025) Assessment

Effective nursing relies on the ability to find and use solid evidence to improve patient care. This assignment focuses on your skills in Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), requiring you to identify a clinical problem, search for peer-reviewed literature, and propose a change in practice based on your findings. You will demonstrate how research directly translates to better safety and outcomes in a healthcare setting.

I. Assessment Overview

This performance assessment requires the submission of a 1,050-to 1,400-word paper (approximately 4–6 pages) formatted according to APA 7th Edition standards. You must address a specific clinical issue using the PICO(T) framework and evaluate the quality of evidence retrieved from scholarly databases.

Key Requirements:

• Clinical Question: Formulate a clear PICO(T) question focusing on a relevant nursing intervention.

• Evidence Appraisal: Select two peer-reviewed articles (one quantitative, one qualitative) and evaluate their methodology and findings.

• Practice Change: Propose a specific, evidence-based change for your current or a hypothetical clinical environment.

• Outcome Measurement: Define how you will measure the success of this change using specific metrics.

II. Detailed Instructions

A. The PICO(T) Framework

1. Identify a Problem: Choose a clinical area of interest (e.g., fall prevention, medication errors, or pressure injury reduction).

2. Construct the Question:

   • P: Population/Patient Problem

   • I: Intervention

   • C: Comparison

   • O: Outcome

   • T: Timeframe (optional)

B. Literature Search and Evaluation

Using the WGU Library or Google Scholar, locate two recent (2020–2026) peer-reviewed articles.

• Article 1: Must be a quantitative study (e.g., Randomized Controlled Trial).

• Article 2: Must be a qualitative study (e.g., Phenomenological study or Case Study).

• Critique: For each article, describe the study’s purpose, the sample size, the results, and why this evidence is credible for clinical decision-making.

C. Implementation and Evaluation Plan

1. Proposed Change: Describe the new workflow or intervention in detail.

2. Stakeholders: Identify who needs to be involved (e.g., nurse managers, IT department, patients).

3. Barriers: Discuss potential obstacles to implementation and how to overcome them.

4. Evaluation: State exactly what data will be collected to prove the intervention works (e.g., “15% reduction in CAUTI rates over six months”).

III. Grading Rubric Highlights

Criteria	Not Evident	Professional (Pass)
PICO(T) Question	No question provided.	Question is clearly stated with all PICO elements present.
Evidence Appraisal	Articles are not scholarly.	Two peer-reviewed articles are critiqued with high detail.
Implementation Plan	Plan is vague or missing.	Plan is logical, evidence-based, and includes stakeholders.
APA Formatting	Major errors in citations.	Citations and references follow APA 7th Ed. precisely.

A significant issue in acute care is the rising rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). By implementing a nurse-driven removal protocol, clinicians can reduce the duration of catheterization and subsequent infection risks. Data from recent longitudinal studies suggest that standardized checklists effectively empower bedside nurses to advocate for early removal.

IV. Recommended References

• American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). The essentials: Core competencies for professional nursing education. https://www.aacnnursing.org/essentials

• Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2022). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

• Speroni, K. G., McLaughlan, A. J., & Bacon, C. T. (2020). Critical components of a nurse-driven removal protocol for indwelling urinary catheters. Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 35(4), 295-301. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCQ.0000000000000465

• Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. (2023). Adopting evidence-based practice: A toolkit for nurses. https://rnao.ca/bpg/resources/ebp-toolkit