Search

Evidence-based practice at Salem Health

Salem Health continually advances standards for clinical practice in accordance with the best available evidence. Using a broad and complimentary range of quality approaches, such as evidence-based practice (EBP), research and Lean continuous improvement as support. This supports the Salem Health team toward developing competency in these areas and solving practice problems.

Established in 2010, the EBP & Research Council supports our clinical staff to achieve exceptional outcomes as well as generate new knowledge to guide practice and positively influence the health outcomes of our community. The EBP & Research Council intentionally influences cultural change, exemplified through empowerment and strong staff engagement in a bold spirit of inquiry focused on continued improvement in patient outcomes. 

The EBP & Research Council is poised to collaborate, as necessary, and support education on EBP and research by:

  1. Developing EBP, research and quality improvement competencies of the interprofessional Salem Health team
  2. Building EBP mentoring capability to support the first goal and
  3. Continuously advancing standards for clinical practice in accordance with best practice

Salem Health sponsors an annual clinical inquiry challenge, a competition between departments, with the goal of encouraging staff to ask clinical questions to continuously update their practice based on best evidence. It is also an opportunity to reinforce how PICO(T) questions are structured. Salem Health continues to find new ways to make literature review and research easier and quicker for clinicians to undertake.

As an organization, Salem Health supports the acquisition of new knowledge at every level.

Some of the venues where we acquire that knowledge include:


Nursing research

Salem Health's evidence-based practice/research vision

  • Research generates new knowledge, and that evidence informs clinical practice. 
  • Clinicians are supported and developed to apply an integrated Evidence-Based Practice and research into their practice.  
  • Practice is continuously evaluated and updated using the best available evidence. 
  • When evidence does not exist, research or quality improvement (QI) initiatives are undertaken to address gaps in knowledge. 
  • Clinicians actively disseminate the outcomes of Lean, QI, EBP, and research projects to internal and external audiences. 
  • Salem Health encourages poster presentations, conference abstract submissions, and publication of results.