The Plan-Do-Study-Act and EBP

1. Explаіn the four stages of the Plan-Do-Studу-Aсt (PDSA) cycle. (Chapter 4)
2. Define the different types of Research Evidence Reviews. Mention the commonly used healthcare computer databases. (Chapter 5)
3. List and briefly explain the qualitative traditions commonly used in health sciences research. (Chapter 6)

The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PSDA) is a tool used by healthcare organizations in improving their functions. The four-stage cycle starts off with planning whereby the chosen team identifies the strategy to be taken to bring about change in the organization (Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt 79). This stage also involves identifying the aims of the change.

The second stage, “Do”, involves the implementation of the change in the organization.  During this phase, data is collected regarding the performance of the implemented strategy.

The third stage, “Study” involves the analysis of the data gathered in the second stage and judging the efficiency of the implemented change based on the aim identified in the planning stage (Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt 79). The last stage, “Act”, involves determining the best action to take based on the plan’s outcomes.

There are four main types of research evidence reviews. The first type is the systematic review that involves a comprehensive compilation of similar studies that answer a particular research problem (Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt 121).

The second type is known as meta-analysis, and it involves analyzing a large sample of similar studies statistically to identify a summary statistic.

The third type is integrative review which involves analyzing different studies without finding a summary statistic due to the heterogeneity of some of the studies used (Melnyk Fineout-Overholt 121).

The fourth type is the narrative review that involves an analysis of several published papers that support the author’s arguments. The commonly used healthcare computer databases are Cochrane Systematic Reviews, SUMsearch2, CINAHL, TRIP, and PubMed.

The most used qualitative traditions in health sciences research are grounded theory, ethnography, phenomenology, and hermeneutics. The grounded theory is used to generate explanations for human behaviors during different life situations which are based on empirical data (Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt 139).

Ethnography relates to the study of people’s culture by observing the material evidence of the individuals’ culture and their natural setting. Phenomenology involves the study of individuals’ lives’ meanings based on lived experiences (Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt 140). Hermeneutics relates to the interpretation of human experiences through the researcher’s dialogical engagement.

Work Cited

Melnyk, Bernadette M, and Ellen Fineout-Overholt. Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice. 3rd ed., Wolters Kluwer, 2015.