Evidence-Based Oncology Oral Care Clinical Practice Guidelines: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation

As the evidence for oncology nursing practice expands exponentially, nurse clinicians, including oncology nurses, are faced with a growing demand to integrate evolving contemporary evidence into practice. Models such as the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Framework (University of Pennsylvania Health System [UPHS] Nursing Research Committee, 1999) (see Figure 1), as well as the Oncology Nursing Society’s (ONS’s) EBP Online Resource Center, can provide critical guidance for clinicians pursuing EBP initiatives. At UPHS, a comprehensive, evidence-based, oncology oral care clinical practice guideline (CPG) was developed and revised by a multidisciplinary work group and is being implemented and evaluated for its impact on nursing and patient care outcomes at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania under the leadership of the primary author. The formulation of this practice guideline represents a significant research-based innovation in nursing and multidisciplinary clinical practice at UPHS and provides an excellent example of how practicing oncology nurses can use an EBP framework to effect change in an institution.