title: Analysis of the impact of a national initiative to promote evidence-based nursing practice.
abstract: Best Practice Statements (BPS) are designed to facilitate evidence-based practice. This descriptive, exploratory study evaluated the impact of five of these statements in Scotland. A postal survey of 1,278 registered nurses was undertaken to determine use of these statements and their perceived benefits (response rate: 42%). Use of the BPS differed across clinical sites and some statements were more likely to be used than others. Identified barriers and drivers to their use were similar to factors known to encourage or hinder evidence-based practice generally. Although approximately 25% of clinical respondents reported using the BPS, most respondents reported perceived benefits to patients usually through quality improvement. Results highlight the importance of facilitation and supportive contexts in encouraging clinical use of these statements. Findings suggest that variation in clinical implementation of the BPS need to be addressed locally and nationally if their benefits are to be maximized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK. nicola.ring@stir.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ring
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coull
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Howie
authors.forename: Tricia
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murphy-Black
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watterson
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000592:standards; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000592:standards; D012606:Scotland; D012944:Social Support; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires