Readiness of U.S. Nurses for Evidence-Based Practice: Many don’t understand or value research and have had little or no training to help them find evidence on which to base their practice.

Abstract

Evidence-based practice is a systematic approach to problem solving for health care providers, including RNs, characterized by the use of the best evidence currently available for clinical decision making, in order to provide the most consistent and best possible care to patients. Are RNs in the United States prepared to engage in this process? This study examines nurses' perceptions of their access to tools with which to obtain evidence and whether they have the skills to do so. Using a stratified random sample of 3,000 RNs across the United States, 1,097 nurses (37%) responded to the 93-item questionnaire. Seven hundred sixty respondents (77% of those who were employed at the time of the survey) worked in clinical settings and are the focus of this article. Although these nurses acknowledge that they frequently need information for practice, they feel much more confident asking colleagues or peers and searching the Internet and World Wide Web than they do using bibliographic databases such as PubMed or CINAHL to find specific information. They don't understand or value research and have received little or no training in the use of tools that would help them find evidence on which to base their practice. Implications for nursing and nursing education are discussed.