Is there a difference between “common practice” and “best practice”?
When you first went to work for your current organization, experienced colleagues may have shared with you details about processes and procedures. Perhaps you even attended an orientation session to brief you on these matters. As a “rookie,” you likely kept the nature of your questions to those with answers that would best help you perform your new role.
Over time and with experience, perhaps you recognized aspects of these processes and procedures that you wanted to question further. This is the realm of clinical inquiry.
Clinical inquiry is the practice of asking questions about clinical practice. To continuously improve patient care, all nurses should consistently use clinical inquiry to question why they are doing something the way they are doing it. Do they know why it is done this way, or is it just because we have always done it this way? Is it a common practice or a best practice?
In this Assignment, you will identify clinical areas of interest and inquiry and practice searching for research in support of maintaining or changing these practices. You will also analyze this research to compare research methodologies employed.
Full Answer Section
Here is a table summarizing the key differences between common practice and best practice:
In the context of nursing, it is important to use best practices whenever possible. This is because best practices have been shown to be safe and effective, and they can help to improve patient outcomes.
Here are some examples of common practices in nursing that may not be best practices:
- Using a foley catheter for urinary incontinence without first trying non-invasive interventions.
- Restraining patients for convenience, rather than for safety.
- Giving medications without first checking the patient's medication list and allergies.
By questioning common practices and seeking out evidence-based best practices, nurses can help to improve the quality and safety of patient care.
Here are some resources that nurses can use to find evidence-based best practices:
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) ClinicalTrials.gov website
- The Cochrane Library
- The Joanna Briggs Institute
- The American Nurses Association (ANA)
Nurses can also talk to their colleagues, supervisors, and preceptors to learn about best practices in their area of practice.
By using best practices, nurses can help to ensure that their patients receive the best possible care.
Sample Answer
Common practice is something that is done widely, but may not be based on evidence or research. It is often done because it has always been done this way, or because it is seen as the easiest or most convenient way to do things.
Best practice, on the other hand, is a method or procedure that has been shown to be effective through research or evidence. It is the best way to do something based on the available knowledge.