The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) is taking a firm stand in favor of science and critical thinking. For nurses, evidence-based practice (EBP) is a touchstone that helps save lives. Policymakers, however, face pressure from so many conflicting demands and interests, that even in a public health crisis, officials can be tempted to sink the science if they can gain more approval by espousing specious ideas that rely on popular appeal. The AACN has apparently had enough of this. On September 29, the association issued a statement to public officials, spokespeople, and policymakers: a pandemic situation is a time to bridle the impulse to promote factitious decisions based on wishful thinking or a desire for popularity. When human lives are at stake, the decision-making process must rest on scientific evidence.
The AACN statement, “Science Must Drive Clinical Practice and Public Health Policy,” pulls no punches. Bluntly remarking that “During times darkened by fear of disease and mistrust of science, nurses must mark a bright line between evidence-based healthcare guidance and opinions based on economic expediency or political ideology,” the document urges that “All healthcare decision-making, whether it be for individual patients or the nation, must be anchored in the best scientific evidence available. All individuals have a responsibility to seek truth and reject misinformation or propaganda, especially those in leadership positions….”
The AACN states their official position in the following words: “The best available evidence should guide all healthcare decisions. This is true for the individual healthcare professional at a patient’s bedside and for civic leaders who make local, state, and federal healthcare policy. Even when fast-moving public health crises make it impossible to find sufficient amounts of peer-reviewed research, public policy decisions must be based on carefully evaluated healthcare information and the guidance of fully qualified experts.”
The release of this statement at this particular time—and its tone—suggest that events have reached a tipping point. The credibility of the CDC has eroded, politicians are still ignoring established evidence that people are safer in populations that wear face masks in public, and some national advisors continue to cling to the debunked theory that herd immunity is the solution to COVID-19 (for the survivors, at least. Vaccination is the only safe way to bring about any form of Covid herd immunity).
What can nurses do? The AACN recommends a number of actions that can help protect the public well-being. Briefly summarized, the action points include:
- Correct false healthcare information at every opportunity
- Be ardent defenders of evidence-based science and respect for expert knowledge
- Be aware of conflicts of interest—professional, financial, or political—when evaluating data and evidence
- Speak out against censorship of scientific ideas or the silencing of legitimate experts
- Use evidence-based practice, a problem-solving approach that involves the conscientious use of current best evidence, in making decisions about patient care
The full AACN statement can be found here.
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