Learning Objective #1: identify strategies to advance evidence based practice among hospital nurses in the development of a survey instrument.

Learning Objective #2: identify strategies to advance evidence based practice among hospital nurses in the validation of a survey instrument.

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An extensive project was launched in a community hospital setting to monitor and reduce urinary tract infections and urinary contamination practices. The director of education convened a task force group of staff nurse representatives, infection control nurses, nurse educators and advance practice nurses to identify strategies to begin unit based education, consistent monitoring and reporting, and develop an evidence based practice (EBP) urinary tract management guideline. A review of the literature by task force members in cooperation with the medical information librarian was conducted and was summarized by the evidence based practice nurse. Studies were reviewed and a guideline was developed to reduce urinary tract infections and collection contamination. Prior to the distribution of the EBP guideline an evidence based practice nurse and nurse research scientist met to design the survey and conduct survey validation. The survey was designed based upon the major themes of the proposed practice guidelines. Major themes included practices related to insertion, management, discontinuation, prompting, alternatives to urinary catheter and collection of urine sample. Five advanced practice nurses, experts in urinary tract prevention practices were asked to score each survey item on a Likert scale indicating irrelevant, somewhat irrelevant, neutral, relevant, and very relevant to the respected themes. Based upon the average score of the expert nurses, a validated survey was developed and prepared for pre and post EBP guideline distribution to nurses throughout the hospital. A staff nurse was added to the study team to distribute the survey to measure changes in urinary tract prevention and contamination practices. Results of the survey will be used to evaluate changes in practices related to the EBP guidelines and to recommend needed strategies to effect improvements in continued advances in nursing practice.