I originally intended this blog to focus on the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) for writers as part of an ongoing series, but I changed my mind when I learned of an exciting new tool for those wanting to report their evidence-based practice (EBP) projects. Frequently, EBP teams delay publishing their work because of time constraints and lack of confidence in their writing abilities. Help has arrived in the form of new EBP reporting guidelines developed by a team from Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.
Why use guidelines?
As an author, guidelines save you time by providing a roadmap for structuring your article. Each main section of the guideline contains a deep dive into the contents of that section. Using guidelines for your article also builds your confidence because you know that experts have identified the key items your article should cover. Most guidelines contain a checklist you can compare your article to, improving your chances of publishing success.
Guidelines have long existed for many types of articles, such as SQUIRE 2.0 (Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) for quality-improvement projects. Many of these guidelines can be found in the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network (equator-network.org), which allows you to search for those that best match your topic.
A new addition to EQUATOR are Reporting Guidelines for EBP projects, which were published in the October 2024 Worldviews on Evidence-Based Practice Nursing article “Reporting guidelines for evidence-based practice projects: A Delphi study and publication checklist.”
Why EBP guidelines?
Until now, many journals have required or recommended the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines for QI projects but few mention EBP projects. EBP isn’t the same as QI, so SQUIRE 2.0 can’t be easily applied to EBP. As Crystal Grys writes: “EBP is used to care for individual patients, address operational and systemic questions, or improve safety or quality outcomes. QI projects are used to fix or build a new process specific to the local practice and informed by local data and evidence from the literature.” Grys compares EBP to an engineer who applies known solutions to everyday problems and QI to a general contractor who can fix and build.
How were the EBP guidelines created?
Maddie Whalen, MSN/MPH, RN, CEN, NPD-BC, EBP program coordinator at Johns Hopkins Health System, and her two colleagues (also EBP experts) recruited other EBP subject matter experts; they used a modified Delphi technique to create the guidelines. After three rounds, they compiled the final results. Although the sample size was relatively small, the guidelines still fill a gap, helping authors in reporting their EBP results.
What do the EBP guidelines contain?
The EBP reporting guidelines include six sections (introduction, EBP design, methods to generate best-evidence recommendations, evidence finding, implementation, and conclusion) and 30 sub-sections, not including the abstract. The guidelines contain specific information regarding what each section should include. Here’s an example from section 3.1 (Methods to generate best-evidence recommendations):
3.1 Information sources (databases) and search procedure
Provide the names of the databases the team queried and the process for performing the search. Include search strategy limits, such as date ranges, with rationale. If applicable, include if this was a systematic (exhaustive), scoping, or targeted search, include justification.
The authors acknowledge that the guidelines are a “preliminary step” to increasing dissemination of EBP projects. They recommend a second study be conducted after a period of implementation to identify any necessary updates—a standard practice in guideline development.
A valuable tool
If you want to enhance the likelihood your EBP project article gets published, I recommend that you seek out these EBP reporting guidelines. You also might find them helpful in planning your project.
Hi, I’m Cynthia Saver, MS, RN, owner of CLS Development, which provides writing and editing services, and editor of Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses, 4th ed. I’m also past editorial director for American Nurse Journal.
I’ve been a full-time professional nurse writer and editor for many years, and that doesn’t count the writing I did as I fulfilled my nursing roles in clinical, research, education, and management. My passion is helping nurses share their expertise through the written word, including, but not limited to, publication. Writing can be scary and intimidating. I hope to make it less so and to help you develop your writing skills the same way you’ve developed your nursing skills.
Whether you’re considering your first or your 50th publication, want to contribute to your organization’s newsletter, or crave to be a better communicator online and in print, I hope you’ll find what I write helpful. The nurse publishing colleagues I’ve learned from over the years (many of whom are contributors to my book) may not be listed by name, but I’m grateful for their willingness to share. In that spirit, I’m looking forward to sharing with you! If you have feedback, feel free to email me at csaver57@gmail.com.
References
Grys CA. Evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and research: A visual model. Nursing. 2022;52(11):47-9. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000889812.89287.45
Saver C. Guidelines for bolstering writing success. American Nurse. 2021. myamericannurse.com/the-writing-mind-guidelines-for-bolstering-writing-success/
Whalen M, Bisset K, Ascenzi J, Budhathoki C. Reporting guidelines for evidence-based practice projects: A Delphi study and publication checklist. Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2024. doi:10.1111/wvn.12748
