[How nurses update their knowledge: a survey in three north Italian hospitals]

Evidence based nursing (EBN) implies the application of the best knowledge to clinical practice but nurses may rely on different sources of knowledge.

To gain knowledge on methods and sources nurses use to update their knowledge.

A self completed closed question questionnaire was administered to the nursing personnel of three north Italian hospitals. For each item a level of agreement (never (0) always, 5) was expressed.

Over 2642 questionnaires, 1549 (58.5%) were completed. Nurses mostly rely on their experience (mean 4), information obtained from protocols and guidelines (mean 3.94) and during basic education (mean 3.82). Nurses that had attended courses of research or EBN read more frequently articles published in nursing or medical journals.

Experience an important source of knowledge and education to research or EBN may impact on how nurses update their knowledge.