NURS-FPX4030 Assessment 1
Locating Credible Databases and Research

Capella University — BSN FlexPath | Making Evidence-Based Decisions | 2025–2026

Course and Assessment Overview

Baccalaureate-prepared nurses use the best available evidence in the processes of clinical reasoning and judgement, which lead to interventions that result in desired patient, systems, and population outcomes. NURS-FPX4030 focuses on developing generalist nursing practice competencies for evidence-based decision-making. Over the course of four assessments, you will access a range of databases and evidence sources, analyse the credibility of that evidence, and work toward defining evidence-based solutions and improvement plans that affect care quality and patient outcomes.

Assessment 1 anchors this entire process. Before a nurse can apply evidence effectively, she needs to know where to find it, how to evaluate it, and how to communicate its value to the people she supervises. A baccalaureate-prepared nurse working at the bedside or in a supervisory role is regularly called on to guide less experienced colleagues toward credible resources and away from unreliable ones. That practical, practice-based skill is exactly what this assessment measures.

You will produce a 2- to 4-page professional resource guide written for a practitioner audience — specifically, the nurses you supervise in the clinical scenario described below. The document is not a standard academic essay. It is a practical, useable resource that another nurse could pick up and apply to their own clinical research process. Write it accordingly.

Clinical Scenario

Choosing Your Clinical Diagnosis or Health Care Issue

Select a specific clinical diagnosis or healthcare issue as the focus of your database search demonstration. You will use this condition as a practical example throughout your resource guide to show your nurses how the search process works in a real clinical context. Common choices confirmed across multiple student submissions include hypertension, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, heart failure, sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), wound care and pressure injury prevention, and post-surgical pain management. Choose a condition relevant to a medical-surgical floor setting and one for which peer-reviewed evidence is readily available.

Assessment Instructions

Your resource guide must address all three of the following required content areas. Each maps to a specific course competency and will be assessed individually in the scoring rubric.

Required Content Area 1 — Communication and Collaboration Strategies to Support EBP Research

Describe the specific communication strategies you would use to encourage the nurses you supervise to research the diagnosis you have selected, and the strategies you would use to collaborate with them to access and use the resources available at your facility. Your response must:

• Identify at least two distinct communication strategies — not generic advice, but specific, actionable approaches tailored to a supervisory nurse role in a hospital setting
• Distinguish between strategies aimed at encouraging research (motivating new nurses to engage with EBP) and strategies aimed at collaborating on resource access (working together to find and apply evidence)
• Explain why each strategy is appropriate to the clinical and supervisory context described
• Consider the role of digital platforms, structured team meetings, mentorship frameworks, or shared research activities as collaboration tools
• Support your communication approach with at least one peer-reviewed source

This section maps to Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead practice changes based on evidence.

Required Content Area 2 — Identification of Credible Databases and Evidence Sources

Identify and describe the specific databases and other evidence sources that are most relevant to your chosen clinical diagnosis and that your nurses should use for EBP research in this setting. For each database or source identified:

• Name the database or source precisely (e.g., CINAHL Complete, PubMed Central, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medline via ProQuest, National Guideline Clearinghouse, ADA Clinical Practice Guidelines)
• Describe what type of evidence it contains and the scope of its coverage
• Explain specifically why it is relevant to the diagnosis or healthcare issue you have chosen
• Explain how a new nurse would access it in the hospital’s existing computer lab or at a workstation

You must identify a minimum of five (5) credible databases or evidence sources. At least three of these must be formal academic or clinical databases (not general websites). Your list may include one or two authoritative clinical websites (e.g., CDC, WHO, professional association guidelines) in addition to peer-reviewed databases, provided you explain their relevance and credibility.

This section maps to Competency 1: Interpret findings from scholarly quantitative, qualitative, and outcomes research publications.

Required Content Area 3 — Explaining Why the Sources Provide the Best Evidence

For each of the five or more databases and sources you identified, explain why they provide the best available evidence for the clinical diagnosis you have chosen. Your explanation must do more than simply state that a source is “peer-reviewed” or “credible.” Address the following for each source or as a synthesised evaluation across sources:

• Apply the CRAAP test criteria (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) explicitly — either for individual sources or as a framework you explain to your nurses for evaluating any source
• Explain how each source’s content specifically serves evidence-based decision-making for the diagnosis you have selected
• Identify what makes these sources superior to general internet sources or non-peer-reviewed materials for clinical decision-making
• Address the practical accessibility of these sources for nurses in the described hospital setting

This section maps to Competency 2: Analyse the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources.

Reference: Core EBP Databases for Medical-Surgical Nursing Practice

The following table is provided as a teaching reference for how to present and organise database information in your resource guide. You may adapt this format or write the information in prose — the scoring rubric does not require a table, but a well-organised table is a legitimate way to structure the database identification section for a practitioner audience.

Database / Source	What It Contains	Relevance to Clinical Practice	Access Notes
CINAHL Complete (EBSCO)	Nursing and allied health literature; over 5,400 full-text journals; includes nursing evidence and clinical studies	Primary database for nursing-specific EBP; covers medical-surgical nursing care studies, patient education, and clinical protocols	Available through Capella Library and most hospital computer labs; accessible at nurse workstations via hospital intranet subscription
PubMed / PubMed Central (NLM)	Biomedical and life sciences literature; over 35 million citations; many full-text articles via PMC	Ideal for pharmacological, pathophysiological, and clinical trial evidence relevant to medical-surgical diagnoses	Free public access at pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; no login required for citations; PMC provides free full-text articles
Cochrane Library	Systematic reviews and meta-analyses; highest level of evidence synthesis available in clinical literature	Best source for Level I evidence; ideal for confirming whether an intervention is supported by the strongest available body of research	Available through Capella Library subscription; some reviews freely accessible at cochranelibrary.com
Medline (via ProQuest or OVID)	Biomedical journal literature indexed by NLM; overlaps with PubMed but offers advanced filtering in ProQuest and OVID interfaces	Strong for clinical decision-making studies; subject headings (MeSH terms) allow precise filtering to specific diagnoses	Available through hospital library subscription via ProQuest or OVID interface at computer lab terminals
Nursing and Allied Health Collection (ProQuest)	Peer-reviewed nursing journals and professional resources; includes AJN, JONA, and specialty nursing publications	Practical for finding nursing-authored clinical practice recommendations directly applicable to bedside and supervisory roles	Available via ProQuest at hospital computer lab; part of standard nursing school database subscriptions

Submission Requirements

• Length: 2–4 pages of written content, not counting the APA title page or reference list; the document should function as a practical resource rather than a conventional academic essay
• Audience and tone: Write for the nursing colleagues you supervise — professional, clear, practically oriented, and grounded in evidence without being unnecessarily academic in tone
• Font and spacing: Times New Roman or Calibri, 12-point, double-spaced throughout, 1-inch margins on all sides
• APA title page: Required — include learner name, Capella University, course code, course title, instructor name, and date
• In-text citations: All paraphrased or quoted content must be cited in APA 7th edition format; in-text citations are required even in a practitioner-facing resource
• References: Minimum of 3 scholarly or professional sources, all published within the last 5 years; formatted in APA 7th edition with DOI links where available on a separate reference page
• APA headings: Use APA-level headings to organise the three content sections clearly
• Inclusions: The resource must include a description of communication and collaboration strategies, a list or description of relevant databases with rationale, and an explanation of why each source provides the best evidence for the chosen diagnosis
• File format: Submit as a Microsoft Word (.docx) file through the Assessment area of your NURS-FPX4030 FlexPath courseroom

Competencies Assessed

This assessment maps directly to the following NURS-FPX4030 course competencies:

• Competency 1: Interpret findings from scholarly quantitative, qualitative, and outcomes research publications — addressed through the identification and description of peer-reviewed databases and clinical evidence sources relevant to the chosen diagnosis
• Competency 2: Analyse the credibility and relevance of evidence and resources — addressed through the application of the CRAAP test framework or equivalent credibility criteria to each identified source
• Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead practice changes based on evidence — addressed through the communication and collaboration strategy section, and assessed throughout the paper via writing quality, organisation, and APA adherence

Scoring Rubric — NURS-FPX4030 Assessment 1

Each criterion below maps to a course competency and is rated at one of four levels: Distinguished (100%), Proficient (85%), Basic (75%), or Non-Performance (0%). You must achieve at minimum Proficient on all criteria to pass. Resubmissions within your FlexPath subscription term carry no grade penalty. Study each criterion carefully before you begin drafting — the most common reason for Basic ratings on this assessment is failing to match sources to the specific diagnosis chosen, or treating the communication strategies section as a one-line answer.

Criterion / Competency	Distinguished (100%)	Proficient (85%)	Basic (75%)	Non-Performance (0%)
Competency 5a: Describe communication strategies to encourage nurses to research the diagnosis, as well as strategies to collaborate with nurses to access resources	Describes at least two specific, distinct communication strategies with clear differentiation between those used to encourage EBP research and those used to collaborate on resource access. Strategies are explicitly tied to the supervisory context and the medical-surgical setting described in the scenario. At least one strategy is supported by a peer-reviewed source. The discussion is analytical and practical — not a list of generic communication advice.	Describes communication and collaboration strategies with sufficient specificity to be useable in practice. The distinction between encouragement strategies and collaboration strategies is present. At least one peer-reviewed source is referenced. Minor gaps in application to the specific scenario context may exist.	Communication strategies are mentioned but described in abstract or generic terms that could apply to any nursing situation. No distinction is made between encouragement and collaboration strategies, or only one type is addressed. A peer-reviewed source may be absent from this section.	No meaningful description of communication or collaboration strategies is provided. The section is absent, consists of a single sentence, or contains no actionable content that would be useable by a nurse in the described setting.
Competency 1: Identify a list of databases and other sources relevant to EBP for the chosen diagnosis, with a description of why they are appropriate — in a form useable in professional practice for other nurses	Identifies a minimum of five specific databases or evidence sources with clear, distinct descriptions of each. Each entry includes the name of the database, what type of evidence it contains, why it is relevant to the chosen diagnosis, and how nurses in the described hospital setting can access it. The list is formatted or written in a way that a new nurse could use it as a practical reference. All sources identified are legitimate, recognised clinical or academic databases — not generic websites.	Identifies at least five databases or evidence sources with descriptions of their relevance to EBP for the chosen diagnosis. Most entries include enough detail to be useful in practice. Minor omissions — such as missing access instructions for one entry or incomplete description of one source’s content — do not significantly reduce the resource’s practical value.	Fewer than five databases are identified, or the descriptions are too brief or generic to be useful to a new nurse. Sources listed may include non-database general websites without explanation. The resource’s usefulness for professional practice is limited by the lack of specificity in database descriptions.	No databases or evidence sources are identified, or the list contains only general internet sources (Google, Wikipedia) with no connection to the clinical diagnosis chosen. The resource could not be used by a nurse to guide EBP research in any clinical setting.
Competency 2: Explain why the identified sources provide the best evidence for the chosen diagnosis or health care issue	Provides a clear, well-reasoned explanation of why each identified source is the best available evidence for the chosen diagnosis. Applies the CRAAP test framework (or an equivalent credibility model) explicitly and consistently — either source by source or as an overarching evaluation framework. The explanation demonstrates genuine understanding of evidence hierarchies, peer-review processes, and database quality, and addresses why these sources are superior to general internet resources for clinical decision-making.	Explains why the identified sources provide strong evidence for the chosen diagnosis with reference to credibility criteria. The CRAAP test or similar framework is applied, though not necessarily to every source individually. The explanation goes beyond simply labelling sources as “peer-reviewed” and addresses relevance to the specific diagnosis. Some entries may lack depth of analysis.	Explanation of source quality is present but superficial — the primary justification is that sources are “peer-reviewed” or “credible” without meaningful application of credibility criteria. The connection between each source’s content and the specific clinical diagnosis chosen is weak or implied rather than directly stated. The CRAAP framework may be mentioned but not applied.	No explanation of why the sources provide quality evidence is offered. The section is absent, or the only justification given is that the sources were “found online” or “seem reliable.” No credibility framework is applied. The discussion does not engage with EBP concepts at any meaningful level.
Competency 5b: Communicate in writing that is clear, logical, and professional with correct grammar and spelling; apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references with nearly flawless adherence	Writing throughout the resource guide is clear, professional, and appropriately pitched for a practitioner audience — neither overly academic nor informal. Ideas flow logically between sections. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are correct throughout with no distracting errors. APA 7th edition formatting is applied nearly flawlessly: in-text citations, reference list entries, headings, hanging indents, DOIs, and alphabetical order are all correct. Paper falls within 2–4 pages. At least 3 peer-reviewed sources within 5 years are cited.	Writing is clear and well-organised with only minor errors that do not impede reading or professional usefulness. APA formatting is applied consistently with only occasional minor lapses (one missing DOI, one inconsistent heading). Paper meets the minimum length. At least 3 sources within the five-year window are cited.	Writing contains recurring grammatical or mechanical errors that distract the reader or reduce the resource’s professional usability. Organisation is inconsistent. APA formatting errors appear across multiple entries or in-text citations. Paper may fall below minimum length or cite fewer than three sources.	Writing is disorganised, unclear, or substantially below professional standard. APA citations and references are absent, consistently incorrect, or formatted in a non-APA style. Fewer than two sources are cited. Paper is substantially below the 2-page minimum.

FlexPath Grading Note: NURS-FPX4030 uses competency-based evaluation. A minimum Proficient rating on all four criteria is required to pass Assessment 1. Since this assessment also establishes the diagnosis and EBP research foundation carried forward into Assessments 2 and 3, select your clinical focus carefully and ensure your database list is genuinely relevant to that diagnosis before submitting.