Keywords

evidence-based practice, knowledge development, knowledge translation, nursing knowledge, postcolonial feminism

 

Authors

  1. Kirkham, Sheryl Reimer PhD
  2. Baumbusch, Jennifer L. MSN, RN
  3. Schultz, Annette S. H. PhD
  4. Anderson, Joan M. PhD

Abstract

Although not without its critics, evidence-based practice is widely espoused as supporting professional nursing practice. Engaging with the evidence-based practice discourse from a vantage point offered by the critical perspectives of postcolonial feminism, the incomplete epistemologies and limitations of the standardization characteristic of the evidences-based movement are analyzed. Critical analysis of evidence is suggested, such that it recognizes the evidence generated from multiple paradigms of inquiry, along with contextual interpretation and application of this evidence. We examine how broader interpretations of evidence might contribute to nursing knowledge development and translation for transformative professional nursing practice, and ultimately to address persistent health disparities within the complex context of healthcare delivery.