oa Changing Nursing Practice

Description: Clinical nursing practice is on the cusp of significant and unrelenting change amid globalization, austerity measures, and technological advancements as the world moves out of the industrial age into the knowledge age. With advances in technology, theory, and research, the potential changes to future nursing practice are unlimited. Issues such as telehealth, nanotechnology, and globalization are but a few of the major trends influencing healthcare and nursing practice. As these trends become reality and the need for nurses to transition their practice to fit with the changing world, understanding how nurses change their practice becomes crucial. Aim: My purpose in this presentation is to argue the need for a grounded theory study to better understand the process of nursing practice change. Understanding the process nurses undertake to change their practice can help to identify strategies to facilitate change in a safe and effective method. The connection between practice change and factors that influence that change is not a new concept. The literature is replete with discussion about barriers and facilitators to Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), Research Utilization (RU), Quality Improvement (QI), Theory-Based Practice (TBP), yet the success of these approaches at influencing nursing practice change has been less than optimal. I believe one factor contributing to this lack of success is our deficiency in understanding the process nurses undertake to any of these approaches into her/his practice.