An important first step is determining your information need. Information needs in a nursing academic setting can be wide-ranging, from simply needing "information about" to answering a precise, well-thought out clinical question.

The literature on Evidence-Based Nursing Practice suggests classifying questions as either Background or Foreground questions. Classifying in this way can help you to determine what kind of sources you will need to access.

Background questions ask for general knowledge of disease processes or clinical contexts; they ask "who, what, when, why, where or how" about a single disease, drug, intervention or concept. Secondary sources such as textbooks, nursing reference sources and review articles can provide relevant and reliable answers quickly.

Foreground questions ask for specific knowledge one can apply to a specific patient or problem. They often compare two things: two drugs or treatments, the prognosis of two groups, two diagnostic tests, or the harms or benefits of two approaches. They often require primary sources that synthesize a wide range of knowledge, and are more difficult to answer than background questions. Foreground questions are typically clinical questions that require evidence-based answers. 

What is Evidence-Based Nursing Practice?

Evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing is a process of locating, appraising, and applying the best evidence from the nursing and medical literature to improve the quality of clinical practice. Evidence-Based Practiced involves:

1. assessing and defining a problem and formulating a specific question.
2. searching for, finding, and evaluating appropriate evidence.
3. planning and implementing an intervention by integrating the evidence into clinical practice.
4. evaluating the process and the results.

Information Literacy is a requirement for effective evidence-based nursing practice. Information literacy involves the ability to locate, manage, critically evaluate, and use information for problem solving, research, decision making, current awareness, and professional development. Using the library and library resources effectively during your academic coursework in nursing will ensure that you have information literacy skills to equip you for evidence-based practice and continued success in your nursing career.

More Information on Information Literacy and Nursing Information Literacy Standards for Nursing (American Library Association): http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/nursing

More Information on Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing

Tutorial Websites

• University of Minnesota, Evidence Based Practice: https://www.lib.umn.edu/apps/instruction/ebp/
• UMass Medical Library Guide: http://libraryguides.umassmed.edu/EBN

Books

• Godshall, M. (2016). Fast facts for evidence-based practice in nursing : implementing EBP in a nutshell (Second edition.). Springer Publishing Company. 
• Karlberg-Traav, Malin. (2020). Evidence-based nursing.
• Lipscomb, M. (2016). Exploring evidence-based practice : debates and challenges in nursing. Routledge.
• Townsend, M. C., & Morgan, K. I. (2018). Psychiatric mental health nursing : concepts of care in evidence-based practice (Ninth edition.). F.A. Davis Company.