The Evidence-Based Practice Toolkit: Dissemination to VA Nurses Nation-Wide

Tuesday, November 3, 2009: 10:15 AM

April Gerlock, PhD, ARNP
School of Nursing, Veterans Health Administration/University of Washington, Tacom, WA
Anna C. Alt-White, RN, PhD
Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Headquarter's Office of Nursing Services, Washington, DC

Learning Objective 1: 1. discuss the development and implementation of an Evidence Based Practice Toolkit for Veterans Health Administration (VA) nurses nation-wide.

Learning Objective 2: 2. identify the facilitators and barriers to disseminating the toolkit to VA nurses nationally at all work/practice settings.

Despite the rapidly changing landscape of health research and practices, nurses continue to rely heavily on their peers for information.[1] Few use the on-line resources or library available to them.  As part of the VA's Office of Nursing Services (ONS) goal to develop an infrastructure for EBP for VA nurses, the EBP toolkit was developed and disseminated to educate VA nurses about EBP at all settings.  An EBP goal group of advanced practice nurses, educators, researchers, and executives worked to develop a toolkit that would be readily available to all nurses, easy to navigate, and designed to address a wide-range of EBP questions from just getting started, to implementing EBP at all settings.
            The toolkit was introduced to VA Nurse Executives and leaders in April, 2008, and a formal "roll-out" was conducted via a webinar for nursing leaders in August, 2008.  Smaller EBP educational offerings have accessed the toolkit as a learning tool and resource.  Anyone accessing the toolkit has the opportunity to complete the one-page survey that asks background information about the user as well as the usefulness of the toolkit: Nurses from all settings within the VA have been accessing the site.  Recent feedback from a staff nurse stated:  "I'm very excited about the existence of the site. As an old dog trying to learn new tricks, it's been very hard for me to learn about EBP, what it is, & what it can do. Thank you!"  To date there have been more than 4,000 visits to the site.  By designing an easy to access EBP toolkit and disseminating it throughout the national VA nursing network, we are building a foundation of EBP for VA nurses.

[1] Pravikoff DS, Tanner AB, Pierce ST. Readiness of U.S. nurses for evidence-based practice.

Am J Nurs. 2005 Sep;105(9):40-51; quiz 52.