Providing a teaching and learning open and innovative toolkit for evidence-based practice to nursing European curriculum (EBP e-Toolkit): Project rationale and design

Abstract

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an instrument of great utility in making clinical decisions in nursing care, improving the quality of nursing care and patients’ health outcomes. There is no European framework for EBP competency, and no guidelines for EBP teaching. The general concept of the project ‘Providing a Teaching and Learning Open and Innovative Toolkit for Evidence-based Practice to Nursing European Curriculum: (EBP e-Toolkit)’ is to fill this gap in Nursing education across Europe and to foster and harmonize the teaching and learning of EBP in the European nursing curricula and to produce the acquisition of EBP competence earlier in professional life. The project is organized along four major outputs, and a dissemination and sustainability plan has been set up. A mixed method research constitutes the main methodological approach applied in the project. This methodology requires the active participation of all research groups, partners, steering committee, nursing students, and educators, in the project. The use of the EBP e-Toolkit will increase nurses’ and nursing students’ level of EBP competence by formulating specific guidelines to be implemented in EBP teaching.