Evidence‐Based Practice in Nursing and Midwifery: We Are Talking the Talk, but Are We Walking the Walk?

Academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing education: A theory-guided scoping review

OBJECTIVE

To provide a scoping review of the existing literature regarding academic-practice partnership in evidence-based nursing education, with the goal of gathering evidence to support the establishment of such partnerships.

BACKGROUND

Academic-practice partnerships play a crucial role in overcoming separation of theory and practice in evidence-based nursing education and promoting the adoption of evidence-based nursing practice. However, there is a lack of scoping review of related literature.

DESIGN

This scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute updated methodology for scoping reviews and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search in PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, Educational Resource Information Centre (ERIC) and five gray websites between November and December, 2022. A total of 10515 articles were retrieved, 26 articles were included in the scoping review. Two reviewers reviewed the articles, screened literature, and extracted data, independently. A third researcher was involved when consensus is needed. Practice-academic partnership logic model was used to analysis and synthesis the results.

RESULTS

Main themes included inputs (time, instructional resources, partnership agreement, key stakeholder commitment, shared mission, leadership support, common vision, instructional design, mutual respect, and instructional objectives), activities (ongoing communication and shared decision-making), outputs (action plan: evidence-based nursing project plans and educational resources), outcomes (improved evidence-based nursing competency, enhanced quality of nursing care, career advancement and personal development, increased evidence-based nursing projects, improve evidence-based nursing education, heightened academic achievement, increased engagement in evidence-based nursing, increased networking opportunities, and improved staff satisfaction), facilitators (sufficient inputs, effective activities, and clear partnership structure, ongoing feedback, and positive outcomes), and barriers (insufficient inputs).

CONCLUSIONS

Inputs and activities could lead to outputs and outcomes. Facilitators and barriers could influence the degree of outputs and outcomes. Academic-practice partnerships can overcome the barriers of disconnection between theory and practice in evidence-based nursing education, and further promote education and research by leveraging the strengths of both parties, resulting in a mutually beneficial collaboration.

How nursing stakeholders in the Republic of Ireland define evidence-based practice and why it matters

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has garnered increasing exposure in professional healthcare discourse over three decades. While the term is used frequently, its interpretation varies widely. An accurate, shared understanding of what EBP means is essential to the achievement of EBP implementation in clinical practice. As part of a national study in the Republic of Ireland, nurses, midwives, educators, and students shared their personal understanding of what EBP was to them.

AIM

To establish nurses', midwives', educators', and students' knowledge and understanding of the concept of EBP in the Republic of Ireland.

METHODS

In a national study exploring EBP beliefs, implementation, and organizational readiness for EBP among nurses, midwives, educators, and students, an open-ended question invited participants to explain what EBP is, in their own words. Content analysis was used to interpret participants' responses.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged from the data from the single open-ended question: (1) varying definitions of EBP, (2) best practice, (3) nurses' and midwives' role in EBP, (4) knowledge, and (5) barriers and facilitators of EBP. The dominant finding centered on the substantial conflation of EBP with research utilization and other concepts such as quality improvement.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

Poor knowledge and understanding of EBP is a fundamental challenge to EBP implementation. Conflation of EBP with research utilization and other healthcare concepts is not uncommon among nurses and midwives globally and has persisted for some time. This has the potential to hinder the advancement of EBP in nursing and midwifery and, therefore, measures to enhance EBP knowledge and promote EBP implementation are key. Professional regulating bodies, educators, and clinical and educational organizations all have a role to play. The findings from this aspect of this national study offer a realistic, context-specific starting point for tailored educational interventions for clinicians, educators, and students and identify professional and organizational strategies that promote EBP as the expectation and "the way things are done here."

Barriers to Implementing Evidence-Based Practice among Primary Healthcare Nurses in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Several studies have been conducted to investigate the barriers to implementing evidence-based practice (EBP) worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, a few studies were conducted in hospital and mental health settings, and no study has explored the topic in primary healthcare settings. This study aimed to examine the barriers perceived by primary healthcare nurses in implementing EBP. This study employed a correlational and cross-sectional design. A total of 284 nurses were surveyed using the BARRIERS scale. Regression analysis was performed to identify the effects of predictor variables on the four subscales. The overall raw score on the BARRIERS scale was 86.21 (standard deviation = 16.15). The highest mean score was reported in the organizational subscale, followed by the innovation and communication subscales, whereas the lowest mean score was reported in the adopter subscale. The findings showed that the three top-ranked barriers were: (1) results of the studies are not generalizable to nurses’ setting, (2) facilities are inadequate, and (3) physicians do not cooperate with the implementation. Findings showed that nurses encounter organizational-related barriers to a moderate extent and EBP implementation varies depending on gender, level of education, and job position. There is a need to create and implement educational interventions and programs to overcome the barriers to effective EBP implementation among primary healthcare nurses.

Application of evidence-based nursing in prevention of postoperative complications of breast augmentation

OBJECTIVE

To study the application of evidence-based nursing in prosthesis postoperative complications.

METHODS

A total of 78 cases of patients who underwent prosthetic breast augmentation were selected from July 2017 to July 2019. All the patients were divided into control group and study group according to the random number table method. The patients in the control group received routine nursing interventions, and the patients in the study group performed evidence-based nursing interventions based on the control group's care. The mental health, external esthetic effects, and complications of the two groups were observed and compared.

RESULTS

Before the implementation of nursing intervention, there was no significant difference in mental health indicators (SAS, SDS) between the two groups (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the SAS and SDS scores of the two groups were lower than before the intervention, and the study group was lower than the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05); before the implementation of nursing intervention, there was no significant difference in the scores of HADS-A and HADS-D between the two groups (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the scores of HADS-A and HADS-D of the two groups were lower than those before the intervention, and the scores of the study group were lower than those of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05); 94.9% (37 / 39) was better than 71. 8% (28 / 39) in the control group. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05), and the total incidence of postoperative complications in the study group was 5.1% (2 / 39), which was lower than 15.4% (6 / 39) in the control group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Evidence-based nursing intervention is effective in preventing postoperative complications of silicone breast augmentation prosthesis. It can effectively reduce postoperative complications, improve external esthetic effects, and improve the level of mental health of patients. It is worthy of clinical promotion and application.