Are US Nurses Ready for EBP?

Evidence-based practice is not just the domain of physicians, but a very important part of the role of nurses.

A study recently published in AJN exmines nurses' perceptions about their skill level in accessing the tools available for EBP as well as their access to these tools.

Study findings concluded that nurses acknowldege that they need information for effective practice but:

• they are not prepared to use information resources available to them
• have little or no training in how to use resources
• did not understand the value of research
• are generally unprepared for a practice built on evidence
  

Some of this can be attributed to technological changes, as well as nursing program's failure to prepare students for an evidence based practice, and the principals that are involved in EBP.

The article concludes that RNs in the United States are not prepared for EBP. The authors call for a paradigm change in nursing education programs. They also recommend that nursing administrators lobby within their organizations for resources, time, and training to support and integrate evidence based research into practice.

Pravikoff D.S. et al. 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. Am J Nurs. 2005 Sep;105(9):40-51.