Leadership in evidence-based practice: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Organizational Behavior
• Implementation Science

Background:

• Leadership is crucial for successful implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP).
• Existing research acknowledges leadership's relevance but lacks depth in conceptualization.
• Understanding leadership's role is vital for improving healthcare practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review empirical research on leadership's impact on EBP implementation.
• To analyze how leadership is conceptualized and operationalized in this context.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review with narrative synthesis.
• Searched major electronic bibliographic databases and reference lists.
• Included studies focused on leadership and EBP in healthcare, assessing quality.

Main Results:

• Seventeen studies were included, viewing leadership primarily as a facilitator of EBP implementation through support.
• Identified definitional imprecision and conceptual inconsistency in leadership studies.
• Leadership was often analyzed at individual/group levels despite its organizational nature, with limited attention to context.

Conclusions:

• The concept of leadership in implementation science is not fully developed.
• Current measurement tools may not capture the full spectrum of leadership elements.
• Implementation science would benefit from integrating findings from other disciplines to mature the leadership concept.