In August, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NN/LM MAR) collaborated with the Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford to provide training on evidence-based practice to nurses at Bradford Regional Medical Center, a rural community hospital. Home to Zippo lighters and bordered by the Allegheny National Forest, Bradford is located in northwest Pennsylvania and has a population of approximately 8,300 people.
NN/LM MAR Outreach Coordinator Kate Flewelling traveled to Bradford, about three hours north of Pittsburgh, to provide the training.
Topics covered included:
- Ways that evidence-based nursing can be integrated into clinical practice;
- Types of studies and how they relate to levels of evidence;
- Well-built, answerable questions to support clinical practice;
- Online tools for finding evidence-based research, such as PubMed, PubMed Health, and the National Guideline Clearinghouse;
- Literature searches to find relevant evidence.
Participants received CNE credit from UPMC’s Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences.
A 2010 report from the Institute of Medicine entitled, “The Future of Nursing,” argued for increased training for nurses in a number of competencies including research and evidence-based practice. For health professionals who do not have access to a medical library and for those in rural areas, accessing such training and finding reliable health information to support their practice can be a challenge. NN/LM MAR assists health professionals by providing training on free online tools to support evidence-based practice.
Nearly all participants in the training at Bradford Regional Medical Center reported learning about new resources in the training, and all anticipated using their new skills in the next month. Expected outcomes of the training included: “Improved quality of care”; “This is a great help since I want to provide the most up to date information to my staff. Thank you for your insight!”; and “When I get a clinical question from someone I will know how to find evidence-based answers.”
The article, “Center for Rural Health Practice Provides Training for Area Health Providers,” which appeared in October 14, 2014 issue of Bradford Today provides further insight into this valuable training workshop.
NN/LM MAR and the Center for Rural Health Practice will continue to offer such trainings in the area, with the next one scheduled in January 2015 at Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport, Pennsylvania.
For more information about MAR programs and activities, e-mail nnlmmar@pitt.edu or call 800-338-7657.
~ Kate Flewelling