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Monday, November 2, 2009: 3:50 PM
Learning Objective 1: describe the impact of educational preparation on the utilization of evidence-based practice.
Learning Objective 2: identify two common barriers to the utilization of evidence-based practice.
Globally, nurses struggle with implementation of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), as evidenced by a significant body of international nursing research, all with remarkably similar results. Changing nurse behaviors is dependent upon management of the change process, EBP skills of staff and leadership, values and engagement of the nurse, organizational support, and accessibility of the research products. The majority of research is staff-focused, with sparse data available about nurses in leadership positions, who are critical for the process of EBP. This research study, conducted by two system-wide CNS’s for an 800-bed community teaching multi-hospital system, is both a replication of Sandra Funk’s globally utilized Barriers and Facilitators study (Funk, et al, 1987), and an extensive survey about specific research behaviors. Inpatient and Outpatient Registered Nurses comprised the convenience sample from all academic levels, from staff nurses to the chief nursing officer, and all shifts/hours worked. Since Tim Porter O’Grady’s Nodes and Networks Framework is the model for the multidisciplinary Clinical Research Council within the system, it was critical to have a diverse sample of nurses. Approval was granted by the system IRB. Three hundred fully-completed data sets were included in the study. Data analysis included utilization of SPSS, descriptive statistics, and theme extraction for qualitative data. Reliability for each of Funk’s four subscales exceeded those of her original study. Outcomes include: confirmation of the Barriers and Facilitators Study’s global results; identification of learning needs for nurses, by position and education background; identification of EBP resources utilized by nurses; identification of EBP mentors and human resources by the nurses. Implications for the future include development of targeted EBP education programs based on identified needs, restructuring the mentoring process to provide additional supports. Replication of this study is planned for 2010, to measure growth of the process.