Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources

Client Name

Capella University

NURS-FPX4030: Practice in Community Improvement Population Health 

Instructor’s Name

August, 2024

Determining the Credibility of Evidence and Resources

Evidence-based practice (EBP) helps nurses to improve the healthcare services they provide to patients. This approach allows them to increase their knowledge of updated research and then incorporate this knowledge into their treatment interventions. EBP approach can be used to treat diseases such as gastroenteritis, commonly called ‘stomach flu’ (Greenberg & Estes, 2019). It is caused by virus or bacterial infections and can lead to dehydration and stomachaches. However, evidence-based practices such as rehydration proved beneficial in improving the health of patients suffering from gastroenteritis because it is based on research. However, EBP has several models that provide a strategic application of EBP (Kumari et al., 2022). It also helps healthcare practitioners to make better-informed decisions about patients’s health. This assessment explores the application of EBP practices for the diagnosis and treatment of gastroenteritis. 

Importance of an Evidence-Based Approach to Gastroenteritis

Gastroenteritis is a disease caused by a virus or bacterial infection and it causes dehydration and abdominal pain (Cameron et al., 2019). Evidence-based practice is important to incorporate in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease because gastroenteritis worsens due to delayed diagnosis. By the time the symptoms of this disease show up, it has already worsened. So applying an evidence-based practice model can help nurses with early intervention in cases of gastroenteritis. Utilizing such an EBP model, healthcare professionals can develop diagnostic criteria and protocols to reduce the complications that can be caused by gastroenteritis if not treated timely (Dang et al., 2021). Moreover, incorporating a screening test for gastroenteritis and standardized follow-up can help in the early diagnosis of this disease (Moon et al., 2023). All these strategies can help improve patient care and health. 

Rationale for the Importance or Benefit of Applying an Evidence-Based Approach

One of the major rationales for using evidence-based practice is that it helps healthcare providers to improve the diagnosis and treatment of gastroenteritis which in turn can reduce the mortality rate (Cullen et al, 2022). Moreover, evidence-based practice is based on the latest research so it benefits the patients such as it provides improvement of outcomes, cost-effective treatment strategies, and improved accuracy of treatment interventions. 

Credibility of Resources for Evidence-Based Practice in Gastroenteritis

Using credible resources is the backbone of a strong evidence-based practice and that is why comprehensive criteria are required to ensure the credibility of the resources. 

Authorship 

The author’s qualifications, experience, and reputation highlight the resource’s credibility. A resource on gastroenteritis authored by a generalist will not stand in front of a resource authored by a qualified expert or nurse. Such as articles that nurses with advanced degrees author will be more credible than others. 

Peer-Review 

Many experts review peer-reviewed journals to assess their credibility and reliability. For this reason, peer-reviewed journals are considered more credible than other journals because they provide strong evidence that many experts validate the provided information (Lenaerts et al., 2020). So a peer-reviewed article on the diagnosis of gastroenteritis will be more credible.

Publication Date

The publication date is a crucial factor in determining the credibility of a resource because advancement in the field of medicine is rapid. Recent publications, within the last five years, are considered more reliable because they provide up-to-date information (Heneghan & Goldacre, 2020). For instance, a research paper using a citation of a 2020 published article by PubMed will ensure credibility that the evidence is relevant and adheres to recent treatment interventions. 

Source of Publication

The source where the article is published is also important in determining the credibility of the research. PubMed, Springer, and Elsevier are the top most widely used credible resources around the globe. The reason is that they provide credible and valid information. Moreover, these sources provide updated research to ensure reliability. Of the research used by people in the field of healthcare (Tober, 2020). 

Credibility and Relevance of Evidence and Resources

Many factors are involved in determining the credibility of the Evidence-based practices used in the diagnosis and treatment of gastroenteritis. The gist of these factors is called the CRAAP test which focuses on a particular website’s currency, authority, accuracy, relevance, and objectivity. The first thing to evaluate is the source from where the information is taken. If the source is reputable then it is a credible source. It is also important to evaluate whether the authors are linked to the field of gastroenteritis. Moreover, the timeline of the article should also be considered while evaluating its credibility. The more recent the article, the more it is credible (Esparrago, 2021).  Moreover, to ensure the credibility of the information provided in the article, references can be checked. 

The most credible resource is the article titled, ‘Acute gastroenteritis in children of the world: what needs to be done?’ a peer-reviewed article published in the year 2020, and it is published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (Guarino et al., 2020). The article is from within the last three years which means that it is up-to-date, it is relevant to the topic of gastroenteritis. Moreover, this article is published in a reputed journal which increases its credibility. 

Importance of Incorporating Credible Evidence

One model of evidence-based practice provides a basis for improvement in the treatment results of gastroenteritis. For this purpose, healthcare professionals can utilize the Iowa Model of Evidence-based Practice which provides a gateway to incorporate evidence-based interventions in clinical practice. 

Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice

This model stems from the problem-solving approach and serves as a tool to evaluate the treatment strategies used in treating gastroenteritis. One of the most important treatment interventions is rehydration which fulfills the body’s need for fluids. This model also allows healthcare providers to make better-informed decisions based on the patient’s needs. Thus utilizing this model ensures that the provided treatment is up-to-date, based on evidence, and provides improvement. This is because the Iowa model ensures the effectiveness of a treatment strategy based on the latest research evidence (Titler, 2018). Another benefit of using this model in the treatment of gastroenteritis is that it provides improved treatment which reduces the chances of treatment inefficiency and complications caused by this disease. Thus, it improves the overall well-being of the patients and increases the survival rate of the patients. Furthermore, based on the values of patient benefits, this model also provides cost-effective treatments. 

Conclusion 

The evidence-based practice provides up-to-date knowledge about gastroenteritis and its diagnosis and treatment. It is important to ensure that the resources are credible and the evaluation criteria involve accuracy, objectivity, relevancy, and timeframe of relevant articles. EBP allows healthcare practitioners to make better-informed decisions regarding patients’ health and treatment. It also increases survival rates of gastroenteritis patients and overall well-being.

References

Cameron, E. A., Matheson, C., & Carey, P. (2019). Gastroenteritis management and its outcomes: An overview. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(23-24), 4454-4462. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.13856

Cullen, L., Hanrahan, K., Farrington, M., Tucker, S., & Edmonds, S. (2022). Evidence-based practice in action: Comprehensive strategies, tools, and tips from University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. Sigma Theta Tau. 

Esparrago, A. J. (2021). The effectiveness of CRAAP test in evaluating credibility of sources. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 1(2), 1-14.

Dang, D., Dearholt, S. L., Bissett, K., Ascenzi, J., & Whalen, M. (2021). Johns Hopkins evidence-based practice for nurses and healthcare professionals: Model and guidelines. Sigma Theta Tau. 

Das, J. K., Kumar, R., Salam, R. A., Bhutta, Z. A., & Gaffey, M. F. (2021). Managing severe acute malnutrition in children with gastroenteritis: Evidence-based strategies. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 6(8), 679-691. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00156-2

Greenberg, H. B., & Estes, M. K. (2019). Gastroenteritis: Causes and treatments. New England Journal of Medicine, 380(20), 1955-1962. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1804112

Guarino, A., Aguilar, J., Berkley, J., Broekaert, I., Vazquez, R., Holtz, L., & Treepongkaruna, S. (2020). Acute gastroenteritis in children of the world: What needs to be done? Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 70(5), 694-701. 

Heneghan, C., & Goldacre, B. (2020). The role of publication date in determining the reliability of medical research. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 25(5), 200-202. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2020-111363 

Kumari, H., Kumar, K., Kumar, G., & Sharma, N. (2022). Acute gastroenteritis: Its causes, maintenance, and treatment. Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results, 5064-5078. https://www.pnrjournal.com/index.php/home/article/view/9472 

Lenaerts, G., Bekkering, G. E., Goossens, M., De Coninck, L., Delvaux, N., Cordyn, S., & Vankrunkelsven, P. (2020). Tools to assess the trustworthiness of evidence-based point-of-care information for health care professionals: systematic review. Journal of Medical Internet research, 22(1), e15415. https://doi.org/10.2196/15415 

Moon, R. C., Bleak, T. C., Rosenthal, N. A., Couturier, B., Hemmert, R., Timbrook, T. T., & Fang, F. C. (2023). Relationship between diagnostic method and pathogen detection, healthcare resource use, and cost in US adult outpatients treated for acute infectious gastroenteritis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 61(2), e01628-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/jcm.01628-22 

Tober, K. (2020). Publication source and the quality of scientific research. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 51(33), 161-174. https://doi.org/10.1162/qss_a_00018