Evaluation of an Evidence-Based Practice Tutorial for Nurses: A Useful Tool and Some Lessons Learned

Although evidence-based practice (EBP) and research is important to hospitals and nursing staff interested in achieving Magnet status, a more important purpose is the improvement of patient care. As the nursing staff of UConn Health and its John Dempsey Hospital began its initial assessment prior to embarking on the journey for Magnet status, staff nurses were found to lack skills in searching vetted sources of EBP literature and appraising the results of a search. To address this need, a librarian at UConn Health, in collaboration with the hospital's Nursing Research steering committee, developed an online, self-paced EBP tutorial. The EBP tutorial used the iterative (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model of instructional design in development and assessment. This article describes the development and implementation of the tutorial, its evaluation, and lessons learned. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2016;47(6):266-271.