Evidence-based pressure-ulcer practice: the Ottawa model of research use

Developing evidence-based nursing practice among diverse health-care settings is a particular challenge in the face of current health-care restructuring. This paper describes application of the Ottawa Model of Research Use (OMRU) to increase evidence-based practice across 3 health-care settings during a time of multiple restructuring changes. The initiative was part of a provincial demonstration project to develop centers of nursing excellence with a view to improving continuity of care across the health continuum. Three Ottawa health-care agencies formed one of 4 participating sites in the Province-Wide Nursing Project (PWNP), a 3-year initiative funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health. The goal of the Ottawa-Carleton site was to increase evidence-based decision-making with a focus on pressure ulcers. The barriers and supports encountered, and the strategies used, in striving to meet this goal in a community-care, tertiary-care, and long-term-care setting are described. Multiple research transfer approaches were used, with an emphasis on education. Implementor consensus and achievements of the project support the OMRU's utility as a guide to implementing research findings in these health-care settings.