In the United States there are up to 400,000 unintended patient deaths every year. Additionally, receiving healthcare is the third leading cause of death in the country. The Institute of Medicine established a goal that by 2020, 90 percent of all healthcare decisions would be evidence based. Today, only 30 percent of decisions are evidence based, which has led to patients receiving roughly 55 percent of the care that they require when entering the current healthcare system.
In an effort to bridge the gap, the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare at The Ohio State University College of Nursing has launched the first and only globally recognized professional evidence-based practice certificate of added qualification (EBP-C). The goal of earning the EBP-C is to demonstrate the expertise that a holder uses evidence to make decisions that improve healthcare for not only patients and their families, but also healthcare providers and their practitioners. Upon completion of the CAQ, healthcare professionals in education or practice will be awarded an EBP certificate of added qualification for a period of five years.
“EBP will help us reach the Quadruple Aim in healthcare,” said Bernadette Melnyk, PhD, RN, APRN-CNP- FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, executive director of the Fuld Institute for EBP, vice president for health promotion, chief wellness officer, dean and professor in the College of Nursing. “Evidence-based practice increases healthcare quality and safety, decreases costs and empowers clinicians to be freely engaged and excited when they come to work every single day.”
Healthcare professionals are experiencing increased levels of burnout and dissatisfaction with their jobs. Evidence-based practice is a strategy to assist healthcare providers in meeting the Quadruple Aim. The Quadruple Aim focuses on creating better outcomes for patients, improving the patient experience, lowering costs and improving the overall clinician experience.
The EBP-C demonstrates expertise in EBP and denotes that the successful applicant has completed the required education component. While EBP may have the most immediate impact with practitioners and clinicians, educating future healthcare professionals is an important long-term outcome. In an effort to improve the future of healthcare overall, the Fuld Institute for EBP is working to embed evidence-based practice as part of every curriculum as this is how today’s students will practice as tomorrow’s professionals.
“A certificate of added qualification in evidence-based practice demonstrates that the holder is an expert in EBP,” said Cindy Beckett, PhD, RNC-OB, LCCE, CHRC, LSS-BB, director of the evidence-based practice certificate programs in the Fuld Institute for EBP and assistant professor in the College of Nursing. “Each person that obtains this certificate of added qualification can lead and mentor integration of best practice changes to positively impact individual and organizational goals.”
Visit the Fuld Institute for EBP to learn more and apply for the EBP-C program.
