Nurses' Perceived Readiness in Evidence-Based Practice: An Organizational Assessment

Written by Rainier C. Moreno-Lacalle, Mark Job G. Bascos, Cheryll M. Bandaay, Marian Tibalao-Barrientos, Jefferson S. Galanza, Rufina Calub-Abul, Don Leonardo N. Dacumos, Emily P. Abad, & Mary Grace C. Lacanaria

doi: https://doi.org/10.13178/jnparr

Abstract

Background: Globally, nursing service departments of various hospitals encounter challenges in implementing Evidence-based Practice (EBP). Critical to the improvement of nursing outcomes is the practice of EBP. That is why EBP is considered a state of the art in the hospital organization. Organizational assessment, therefore, is needed to determine the hospital nursing service readiness in EBP.

Objective: The aims of the study are two-fold: (1) to identify the sources of nurses' knowledge and to determine the extent of knowledge-practice gap, skills, and attitude; and (2) to describe middle- and top-level managers of a hospital on evidence-based practice. 

Methods: Descriptive, concurrent mixed-methods design was employed. The Pro-moting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) model served as the theoretical framework where Context, Evidence, and Facilitation are considered important elements to the successful adoption of EBP. A survey questionnaire on EBP perceived knowledge, attitude, and practices by Malik et al. (2015) was responded to by 240 eligible staff nurses from a tertiary level, national government-funded hospital in the Philippines. The qualitative component of the study involved review of records, focus group discussions of seven middle manag-ers, and structured interviews of four top level managers.

Results: The results revealed that the nursing service institution scored low to moderate readiness on evidence and facilitation elements of the framework, while moderate to high on contextual readiness on EBP. Three themes emerged in the qualitative data, namely: willingness to learn, research and EBP were difficult, and unmotivated to do EBP.

Conclusions: Nursing services of the institution point to the need to strengthen readiness on EBP. Of the three elements of the PARIHS framework, Context ele-ment scored favorable on EBP. The Evidence and Facilitation elements of the institution may need to be strengthened through the partnership between the aca-deme and hospital. 

Keywords: evidence-based practice, Promoting Action on Research Implementa-tion in Health Services (PARIILS)