Critically analyse why nursing care of care of patients depends upon Essay

Critically analyse why nursing care of care of patients depends upon evidence from research and is not so much reliant upon opinion and ritual - Essay Example Ritual-based nursing care, on the other hand, follows nursing procedures that have been designed and documented to be followed (Eizenberg, 2010). Here nurses implement directions without questioning their reasons or effectiveness. Individually held opinions and rituals, therefore, are being practiced without acknowledgement of the reason for their practice. Evidence based nursing practice is aimed at achieving the provision of the highest quality of nursing care. It is more effective than relying on the traditional diagnosing and treatment methods since it employs contemporary knowledge during the decision making process (McCrae, 2011). Of late, nurses are increasingly giving evidence-based nursing care preference over ritual-based and opinion-based. This paper critically analyses why this is so. It does so by pointing out the importance and benefits of relying on research evidence and showing the implications of evidence-based practice on nurses and their profession. A ritual is a predetermined order of performing an activity (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2009). Opinion and ritual-based nursing practices involve administering nursing care practices without thinking of the reasons behind such a practice (Makic et al, 2013). A nurse in this model undertakes a nursing practice primarily because it has always been done that way. Nursing practices based on rituals and opinions are characterized by ceremonial and observance practices. There is extensive observation of protocols and formality. Prescription is based on stereotyping individuals and routines (Stevens, 2013). The ritual-based model was popular among the nurses in the past because the nurses were not tasked with making decisions that would make them liable. The nurses were, essentially, not decision makers but rather implementers of book details. As long as they implement the manual instructions to the latter, they had the satisfaction that they had