Implementation of evidence-based nursing practice: nurses' personal and professional factors?
OBJECTIVE
This paper is a report of a study conducted to explore the relationship between nurses' personal and professional factors and evidence-based nursing practice.


BACKGROUND
Like most health-related professions, nursing is shifting from the traditional intuition-based paradigm to evidence-based nursing practice.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2007 with a convenience sample of 243 nurses from northern Israel, who worked in hospitals or in the community. Associations between background variables and evidence-based nursing practice were examined. For the purpose of finding factors that predicted behaviour, a logistic regression analysis was conducted.


RESULTS
The self-reported professional behaviour of nurses with a degree was more evidence-based than that of those without a degree. Moreover, evidence-based nursing practice was more likely where there was access to a rich library with nursing and medical journals, and opportunities for working with a computer and for searching the Internet in the workplace. The variables emerging as predicting evidence-based nursing practice were: education, skills in locating various research sources, support of the organization for searching and reading professional literature, knowledge sources based on colleagues and system procedures (inhibiting variable), knowledge sources based on reading professional literature, and knowledge sources based on experience or intuition.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings point to the need for research-based information, exposure to professional journals and, in particular, organizational support for evidence-based nursing practice.
Department of Health Systems Management, Yezreel Valley College, Israel. michalm@yvc.ac.il
Michal Mashiach
MM
Eizenberg
D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration; D055318:Evidence-Based Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D015399:Nursing Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057566:Self Report; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult