Nursing Librarians Cultivating Evidence-Based Practice Through an Asynchronous Online Course

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Continuing Professional Development

Background:

• Librarians developed an online continuing education course on evidence-based practice (EBP) for clinical nurses.
• The course adapted content from a prior face-to-face program and was delivered via a learning management system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of an online asynchronous EBP continuing education course for nurses.
• To identify barriers and facilitators to course completion and learning.

Main Methods:

• An online asynchronous continuing education course on EBP was created and offered to clinical nurses.
• Nurse participants' registration, completion rates, and feedback were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Many nurses registered, but only a small percentage completed all course modules.
• Nurses reported ease of online access but encountered technical difficulties.
• Completing participants confirmed achievement of all learning objectives.

Conclusions:

• Online asynchronous courses are a viable method for teaching EBP to nurses.
• Addressing hospital computer limitations is crucial for successful online nursing education.
• Future online EBP courses should consider and mitigate technical barriers for optimal engagement.