The Effect of Education on Evidence-Based Practice and Nurses\u27 Beliefs/Attitudes Toward and Intent to use Evidence-Based Practice

Purpose: Does tradition or we have always done it this way provide for safe, confident care? The care nurses provide should be based on evidence. Many barriers to evidence-based practice (EBP) exist. Nurses\u27 lack of knowledge about EBP and nurses\u27 beliefs/attitudes toward and implementation of EBP need to be addressed. Hospital administration and nursing staff must be aware of current practice guidelines. Awareness of the need for EBP demands a process/action to change practice habits. The rewards of implementing EBP should motivate a transformation leading to adaptation of EBP care. The research question this project proposed to answer was: Will a training program designed to educate nurses about EBP improve the beliefs/attitudes toward and intent to use EBP? Methods: Nurse participants attended a seven hour training program on EBP. Pre- and post- mean scores on the EBP Beliefs/attitudes and EBP Implementation scales were compared using paired t-test to determine the effect of the program. Results: Participants scored higher on both the EBP Beliefs/attitudes and EBP Implementation scales following the educational program. Paired t-test indicated a significant difference in means for both scales (p \u3c 0.01). Conclusions: Findings of the project demonstrated that education can affect the nurse\u27s belief/attitude and intent to use EBP. Additional work needs to be done on the use and implementation of EBP in health care organizations. The long-term effect of education on nurses\u27 beliefs/attitudes and use of EBP should be fostered and built into the organization\u27s culture and competencies. Bedside nurses must be convinced that the translation of research into practice is truly a vital part of everyday nursing care