Knowledge for Nursing Practice: Beyond Evidence Alone

Abstract

Objective: For the past 30 years there has been a growing emphasis on evidence as the primary or exclusive basis for nursing practice. Methods: Critical examination of literature related to evidence-based practice from the 1990s to the present. Results: This review of the nursing literature from the 1990s to the present reveals that in the midst of the movement to promote evidence-based practice as the gold standard, there have been persistent expressions of concern. These concerns are (a) lack of alignment of evidence-based practice with nursing's disciplinary perspective; (b) wrongful privileging of empirical knowledge over other sources of knowledge; (c) underappreciation of the complexity of practice and practice wisdom;(d) possibilities of evidence-based practice thwarting innovation and creativity;(e) vulnerabilities of empirical evidence to be flawed, inconsistent, and influenced by competing interests; (f) situational realities that limit access to and critical appraisal of evidence that access to and critical appraisal of evidence is not feasible or practical; and (g) lack of relationship of evidence-based practice to theory. Conclusions: We call for a recalibrated practice epistemology that promotes a greater appreciation for the myriad sources of knowledge for nursing practice, and offer recommendations for international change in education, literature, scholarship, and public media.