Teaching and Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in a Hospital Unit With Secondary Vocational Trained Nurses: Lessons Learned

Evidence-based practice (EBP) was systematically implemented using the implementation model by Grol et al. Barriers and facilitators for change were diagnostically analyzed. Implementation strategies were directed at the barriers. The two main implementation interventions were (a) a tailored interactive outreach training course about EBP and (b) a patient case discussion based on EBP principles. The authors learned that it is important to simplify the five EBP steps to suit the level of education of the nurses by formulating PICO questions around major patient care topics such as pain, and having a search strategy focusing on (Dutch) clinical practice guidelines and other summarized evidence, such as systematic reviews and critically appraised topics. The authors advised the hospital management to appoint nurse practitioners or other nurses with a master's degree to help the nurses on the ward with the EBP process steps, especially regarding efficiently searching the research literature and critically appraising the evidence.