What Is the Status Quo of Evidence-Based Community Health Nursing?

With an increasing emphasis on evidence-based nursing in general, evidence-based practice has become a buzzword among community health nurses in many countries. Despite the global interests, evidence-based community health nursing is not even clearly defined in the literature and very little is known about the current status of evidence-based community health nursing. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to identify the status quo of evidence-based nursing in community health nursing through an integrative literature review.

Four electronic databases were searched from the earliest year to 2016 with combinations of keywords. Twenty-six eligible articles were reviewed, and the characteristics reflecting the current status of evidence-based community health nursing were extracted.

Through the content analysis process, 6 characteristics were identified. First, in evidence-based community health nursing, the needs of clients, families, caregivers, and health care professionals were identified and assessed. Second, interventions were planned based on systematic reviews on various relevant sources. Third, various types of research methods were used. Fourth, available resources were assessed and used, and the findings of cost estimation, cost/effectiveness, or cost/benefit analyses were reported. Fifth, training, support, monitoring, and coordination were included as major components. Finally, the evidence used and/ or found in the studies was evaluated, disseminated, and updated as the last step.

Community health nurses are required to continuously integrate, implement, evaluate, disseminate, and update their evidence for future evidence-based community health nursing.