Examine the sources of knowledge that contribute to professional nursing practice.

Professional nurses contribute a huge amount of knowledge to their practice through various sources. Nursing is an evidence-based profession which means that nurses utilize research, clinical practice and the latest technological advances in order to provide high quality patient care. In order to best serve the needs of their patients, nurses must be knowledgeable about different sources of knowledge and how they can be applied in practice.

One source of knowledge that contributes significantly to professional nursing practice is academic literature or evidence-based research. Academic literature provides nurses with up-to-date information on health topics such as disease management, therapeutic interventions, safety protocols and more (Moorhead et al., 2020). Nurses are expected to draw upon published studies when planning care for their patients and making decisions regarding treatments or procedures. This ensures that quality care is provided based on the most recent practices recommended by experts in the field. It also enables nurses to stay abreast of the rapidly changing healthcare landscape in today’s world where new medical breakthroughs occur almost daily (Smith & Parker 2019).