Translating Research Into Practice:

The Effect of an Evidence-Based Practice Education and Mentoring Program on Increasing Knowledge, Practice, and Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice in a Rural Critical Access Hospital

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of an evidence-based practice (EBP) education and mentoring program on the knowledge, practice, and attitudes toward EBP among staff nurses and clinicians in a rural critical access hospital.

BACKGROUND

While rural nurses value EBP, they often have more limited resources to engage in EBP activities compared with urban-based nurses.

METHODS

Direct care nurses and clinicians participated in a 5-month EBP education and mentoring program following the Iowa Model Revised: Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Excellence in Health Care. The Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire was used to assess pretest-posttest knowledge, practice, and attitudes toward EBP.

RESULTS

Knowledge and practice of EBP increased significantly (P = .008 and P = .015, respectively) after the EBP education and mentoring intervention. Attitudes toward EBP also increased, although the increase was not statistically significant (P = .106).

CONCLUSIONS

Education and mentoring of healthcare clinicians in rural settings are crucial to the translation of evidence-based research into practice to improve patient outcomes.

Providing Hands-on Experiences in Health Care Research to Mentor New Research Scholars

AIM

This article describes the benefits of integrating students into a National Institutes of Health-funded research project.

BACKGROUND

Research is important in all academic disciplines for increasing knowledge and determining the effectiveness of currently used interventions. Educating nursing students to read, evaluate, and use research in practice is essential for solving complex health care challenges and achieving better patient outcomes

METHOD

The students were involved at all levels of the research process: project development, site acquisition, recruitment of participants, data collection and analysis, and manuscript development. Interviews of the student researchers were conducted to understand the students' experience of participation in the research study.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified: creating new knowledge is worthwhile, research is interesting and meaningful, and research can shape practice.

CONCLUSION

Promoting knowledge and experience by involving students in research projects can create a bridge to the development of evidence-based practice.