ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the concept of evidence-based neonatal nursing care and encourage reflection on differing forms of evidence used in day-to-day practice. Increasingly neonatal nurses are being asked, by peers as well as parents, to provide a rationale for their clinical actions. During nurse training the majority of theoretical evidence is derived from textbooks, journals and lectures. Clinical skills are gained by observing others and receiving support by mentorship. Once qualified, nurses must be accountable for their actions, and must be able to demonstrate that their practice is based on safe and contemporaneous evidence (NMC 2008). The chapter begins by revisiting the concept of evidence-based practice and will explore differing sources of evidence which may be used in practice. The final section of the chapter will discuss how evidence is used in everyday clinical decision-making and explore some sources of evidence which you previously may not have considered.
