Implementation Strategies to Improve Knowledge and Adherence to Spinal Cord Injury Guidelines

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a bundle of implementation strategies (local opinion leaders, printed educational materials, and educational outreach) to increase neurocritical care nurses' knowledge of and adherence to spinal cord injury guidelines.

A preprogram, postprogram, and follow-up design was used to evaluate outcomes.

Adherence was measured via self-reported anticipatory adherence; knowledge was measured by an author-developed assessment. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used for data analysis.

Improvements in nursing knowledge and adherence were found from preprogram to postprogram to follow-up time points.

Outcomes noted in this study provide additional support for using this bundle of implementation strategies and were consistent with previous research documenting the usefulness of these strategies.

Although further research is needed, this study highlighted a systematic way of implementing evidence-based practices to improve neurocritical care nurses' knowledge of and adherence to spinal cord injury guidelines.