Differentiation and Integration of Research, Evidence-Based Practice, and Quality Improvement.

Background: Substantial discrepancies exist in how research, evidence-based practice (EBP), and quality improvement (QI) are taught to nursing students across academic levels. As nursing education programs adopt the new The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education and move toward competency-based education, prelicensure and advanced nursing students will need to demonstrate research, EBP, and QI competencies; therefore, faculty must possess the knowledge and skills to teach these paradigms' differences and integration.

Method: An evidence-based approach that builds on the literature and our experience as nurses and educators was used to develop this educational innovation.

Evidence-Based Practice Quality Improvement Critical Appraisal Tool.

Background: Optimal quality improvement in health care is based on research and other types of evidence. Critical appraisal of evidence is a fundamental component of evidence-based practice (EBP) and is also needed to evaluate the quality of quality improvement (QI) projects.

Problem: Currently available EBP or QI critical appraisal tools can be challenging for students learning the critical appraisal process and for practicing clinicians who desire access to a standardized EBPQI approach to inform health care decision-making.

Consistent scholarship standards among DNP-prepared faculty needed: Actionable insights.

DNP-prepared faculty report challenges and barriers to achieving success in academic roles when criteria for promotion includes scholarship. The purpose of this evidence-based initiative was to explore thoughtful scholarship standards for DNP-prepared faculty which can be adapted and transferred across academic institutions with the goal of elevating faculty scholarship. Given a paucity of available research evidence, a review and synthesis of non-research evidence was conducted.

The Mountain Model for Evidence-Based Practice Quality Improvement Initiatives.

This article introduces the Mountain Model, the first conceptual model for evidence-based practice quality improvement (EBPQI) initiatives. The Mountain Model merges modern evidence-based practice (EBP) and quality improvement (QI) paradigm principles into a unified conceptual framework with the goal of disseminating and sustaining EBPQI projects across health care and related settings. The model was developed within the nursing discipline, but is designed for transdisciplinary implementation through interprofessional teams.

CE: Beyond PICO-A New Question Simplifies the Search for Evidence.

The framework for the PICO (population, intervention, comparison intervention, outcome) question was developed for use in the field of medicine to help determine the best treatment or intervention for a patient. However, use of the PICO question often fails to make sense when the problem or issue of interest is unrelated to determining the best treatment; in such cases, PICO is a less-than-optimal framework to use in searching for evidence. Nurses undertaking an evidence-based practice quality improvement (EBPQI) initiative must begin with a full understanding of the problem by exploring both external evidence (research) and internal evidence from the local setting to support the initiative.

External Scholarship Mentors for DNP-Prepared Faculty: A Practice-Oriented Exemplar.

Background: Variability surrounding what practice scholarship should entail and how to incorporate into academic life exists among DNP-prepared faculty teaching across nursing programs.

Problem: DNP-prepared faculty entering an academic role are expected to maintain a clinical practice, teach/advise students, and fulfill service obligations, often leaving minimal time to build a program of scholarship.

Approach: Building upon the archetype of external mentors for PhD researchers, we introduce a new model for external mentorship for DNP-prepared faculty to facilitate scholarship.

An Exploratory Study of Social Media Use and Management by Nursing Journals.

Social media applications are growing across the globe to bring new knowledge and information to target audiences. The use and management of social media in nursing journals have yet to be investigated on a large scale. This cross-sectional study was the first to explore the management of social media and the role of social media editors at nursing journals.

CE: Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Nurse's Role.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the most common and fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States, affecting approximately one in 54 children nationwide. Early intervention for ASD produces the best outcomes-and developmental surveillance and screening are prerequisites to intervention. Although screening has been strongly recommended for two decades, the majority of U.