PERCEPTION OF EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE AMONG NURSES

Abstract

Objective: This paper was a report of a study to describe nurses’ practice, attitudes, knowledge/ skills about Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) and identify the related factors to nurses’ cognitive on EBP. Method: This study, conducted in 2020, had a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design using the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ). A total of 173 nurses participated in this study. Results: The findings showed that participants had medium scores on practice (mean = 3.59; SD = 0.80) and knowledge/ skills (mean = 3.66; SD = 0.53), and nurses had negative attitudes towards EBP (mean = 3.81; SD = 0.81). Statistically significant differences were found for practice, attitudes, and knowledge/ skills between those with more than 10-years’ experience compared to those with less than or equal to 5-years’ experience. They cited barriers to implementing EBP were time, cost, limited knowledge of research, and no nurses with research knowledge in a practice setting. Conclusion: The findings suggested that it is necessary to devise appropriate strategies to improve EBP practice, attitudes, and knowledge/ skills for nurses. This would also encourage them to apply the latest evidence to patient care and contribute to improving the quality of medical services .