Nurses' use and understand of evidence-based practice: Some preliminary evidence

Abstract

Much needs to be done to supply critical care nurses with a comprehensive, ongoing, and readily accessible spectrum of information needed to provide optimal care to patients placed in their care. At the very least, we can assist in providing staff with background information and instructions related to the EBP process; in identifying currently available EBP resources such as those listed at STTI's Web site (www.nursingknowledge.org, www.nursingsociety.org/education/ ceonline.html), in the Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing journal (www.nursingsociety.org/worldviews), and throughout the Internet; and by designating opportunities for nurses to discuss, locate, analyze, and act upon evidence already available. Unless we take the initiative to instigate such measures, those 8% of nurses who seldom recognize a need to make these efforts may find themselves gradually conjoined to the 2% who never do.