Bridging the Gap: Advancing Nursing Professional Development Through Theory-Guided Evidence-Based Practice.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Professional Development
• Educational Psychology
• Neuroscience in Education

Background:

• Nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners need effective strategies to enhance clinical practice.
• Evidence-based practice (EBP) is crucial, but its integration can be strengthened by theoretical underpinnings.
• Existing approaches may not fully leverage cognitive and neuroeducational principles for optimal learning and application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for theory-informed, evidence-based practice (EBP) within nursing professional development (NPD).
• To explain how integrating theories of knowing, cognitive psychology, and neuroeducation can improve knowledge retention, contextual understanding, and behavior change.
• To provide a practical framework and exemplar for operationalizing theory-informed EBP in NPD.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing research from patterns of knowing, cognitive psychology, and neuroeducation.
• Development of a conceptual framework linking theory to EBP in NPD.
• Illustration through a practical exemplar demonstrating application.

Main Results:

• Theory provides a robust foundation for EBP, enhancing knowledge retention and application.
• Cognitive psychology and neuroeducation principles offer mechanisms for effective learning and behavior change in NPD.
• A structured framework facilitates the operationalization of theory-informed EBP.

Conclusions:

• Theory-informed EBP is essential for advancing NPD and improving patient care.
• NPD practitioners can enhance clinical reasoning and practice by integrating theoretical knowledge with EBP.
• The proposed framework offers a practical approach to strengthen NPD and its impact on patient outcomes.