Abstract
Background: Evidence-based practice and decision-making have been consistently linked to improved quality of care, patient safety, and many positive clinical outcomes in isolated reports throughout the literature. However, a comprehensive summary and review of the extent and type of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and their associated outcomes across clinical settings are lacking.
Aims: The purpose of this scoping review was to provide a thorough summary of published literature on the implementation of EBPs on patient outcomes in healthcare settings.
Methods: A comprehensive librarian-assisted search was done with three databases, and two reviewers independently performed title/abstract and full-text reviews within a systematic review software system. Extraction was performed by the eight review team members.
Results: Of 8537 articles included in the review, 636 (7.5%) met the inclusion criteria. Most articles (63.3%) were published in the United States, and 90% took place in the acute care setting. There was substantial heterogeneity in project definitions, designs, and outcomes. Various EBPs were implemented, with just over a third including some aspect of infection prevention, and most (91.2%) linked to reimbursement. Only 19% measured return on investment (ROI); 94% showed a positive ROI, and none showed a negative ROI. The two most reported outcomes were length of stay (15%), followed by mortality (12%).
Notes
Open Access Details:
This is an open access article originally published under the terms of a Creative Commons License, which permits the Sigma Repository to post a copy in its collections. The license is attached to this item record; please click on the license for further details.
Original Article Citation:
Connor, L., Dean, J., McNett, M., Tydings, D. M., Shrout, A., Gorsuch, P. F., Hole, A., Moore, L., Brown, R., Melnyk, B. M., & Gallagher-Ford, L. (2023). Evidence-based practice improves patient outcomes and healthcare system return on investment: Findings from a scoping review. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 20, 6–15. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12621
No changes have been made to this article.
Sigma Membership
Epsilon
Lead Author Affiliation
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Type
Article
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Evidence-Based Decision Making, Evidence-Based Practice, Healthcare, Patient Outcomes, Patient Safety, Return on Investment
Recommended Citation
Connor, Linda; Dean, Jennifer; McNett, Molly; Tydings, Donna M.; Shrout, Amanda; Gorsuch, Penelope F.; Hole, Ashley; Moore, Laura; Brown, Roy; Melnyk, Bernadette Mazurek; and Gallagher-Ford, Lynn, "Evidence-Based Practice Improves Patient Outcomes and Healthcare System Return on Investment: Findings From a Scoping Review" (2026). Individual Articles. 42.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/individual_articles/42
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Publisher
Wiley Blackwell
Version
Publisher's Version
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
External Review: Previously Published Material
Acquisition
Indexed Previously Published Material (Per Creative Commons License)
Date of Issue
2026-01-13
Full Text of Presentation
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