Evidence based practice (EBP) has become an increasingly important aspect of clinical practice and problem solving and is now seen as the key to delivering quality patient outcomes (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). In the context of nursing and specialisations, evidence can be used to improve the quality of patient care outcomes and address new and specific challenges as they arise. The key focus of this unit is meta-analysis and systematic review. The key strength of meta-analysis is that by drawing on a combination of research studies it enables larger sample sizes to be examined than would otherwise be possible in a clinical setting (Ellis & Hartley). Systematic reviews are considered a strong and reliable form of evidence analysis by many researchers (Courtney & McCutcheon, 2010). Therefore, this unit considers the rationale for evidence based nursing practice, the skills that are needed to conduct a meta-analysis and the approaches that can be used to appraise a systematic review.

Get is right: Use evidence

The ultimate hallmark of professionalism is arguably the ability to translate evidence from research into professional practice. Think you have what it takes to crunch the numbers and be an evidence based practitioner? If the answer is "bring it on!" then this unit of study is for you.