Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Practice Nurse Mentor Training Program.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Nurses face barriers to incorporating evidence into practice, such as lack of knowledge, skills, training, time, and organizational support.
• Addressing these barriers is crucial for advancing clinical practice and improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a mentor training program's impact on mentors' perceptions of evidence-based practice (EBP) and research utilization.
• To assess the effectiveness of a formalized structure in preparing nurses to integrate EBP into their clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was employed with 66 mentors and 367 nurses.
• Data were collected from a five-hospital integrated healthcare system in the Southeastern United States.

Main Results:

• Mentor training significantly enhanced mentors' knowledge, attitude, skill, confidence, and organizational readiness for EBP.
• The formalized structure improved nurses' knowledge, attitude, skill levels, and perceptions of EBP barriers, work environment, and leadership.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based practice (EBP) mentors are effective in educating and supporting nurses in evidence-based care.
• A multifaceted approach, including developing EBP mentors, is recommended for leaders to build and sustain EBP within healthcare systems.