HLSC122 – Evidence for Practice

Assessment Task 2: Evidence-Based Practice Essay

Word Count: 1500 words (±10%)
Weighting: 40%
Due Date: Week 8, Trimester 1 2025

Purpose

This assessment develops your ability to locate, appraise, and apply credible evidence to nursing and midwifery practice. You will demonstrate your understanding of how evidence-based decision-making supports safe, ethical, and effective care delivery.

Task Description

Write a 1500-word essay that critically discusses how evidence informs clinical practice. Choose a contemporary healthcare issue relevant to your discipline (e.g., infection control, medication safety, wound management, or patient education). Apply the five steps of the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) process:

1. Formulate a clinical question using the PICO framework.
2. Search for credible, peer-reviewed evidence from scholarly databases (e.g., CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane).
3. Critically appraise two to three key research studies relevant to your topic.
4. Discuss how this evidence can be integrated into clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.
5. Reflect on potential barriers to implementing evidence-based practice within a healthcare setting.

Formatting Requirements

• Use APA 7th referencing style.
• Include a reference list of at least 8 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2018–2025.
• Use 12-point font, double spacing, and standard academic structure (introduction, body, conclusion).

Assessment Criteria / Marking Rubric

1. Critical Understanding (30%) – Demonstrates accurate comprehension of EBP principles and their application in healthcare.
2. Literature Search and Appraisal (25%) – Locates, analyses, and synthesizes relevant scholarly sources with strong critical appraisal.
3. Application to Practice (25%) – Integrates evidence into realistic clinical practice recommendations, supported by rationale.
4. Structure and Academic Writing (10%) – Maintains coherent structure, logical progression, and professional tone.
5. Referencing and Presentation (10%) – Accurate use of APA 7th referencing and formatting conventions.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

• Demonstrate understanding of evidence-based practice principles.
• Critically evaluate and interpret health-related research evidence.
• Apply research findings to inform professional clinical decisions.

This task reinforces essential research literacy skills required for professional practice across nursing, paramedicine, and allied health disciplines at Australian Catholic University.

Evidence-based practice in healthcare, particularly within nursing education at ACU, focuses on critical appraisal and application of research evidence to real-world clinical settings. Assignments such as HLSC122 Assessment Task 2 train students in using reliable databases, applying PICO frameworks, and integrating best evidence to enhance patient outcomes and healthcare quality.

References

1. Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. https://doi.org/10.1097/00012272-201903000-00014
2. Dang, D., & Dearholt, S. L. (2022). Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice: Model and Guidelines (4th ed.). Sigma Theta Tau International. https://doi.org/10.1891/9781646480612
3. LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2021). Nursing Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for Evidence-Based Practice (10th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.
4. Stevens, K. R. (2020). The impact of evidence-based practice in nursing and the next big ideas. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol25No02Man01
5. Rycroft-Malone, J., et al. (2019). Implementing evidence-based practice: An overview of implementation frameworks. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 16(5), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12423