Exploring Nurse Manager Support of Evidence-Based Practice: Clinical Nurse Perceptions

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Clinical nurses (CNs) recognize nurse manager (NM) support as vital for evidence-based practice (EBP) adoption.
• The specific components of effective NM support for EBP remain incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the specific elements of nurse manager (NM) support and resources that facilitate clinical nurses' (CNs) engagement in evidence-based practice (EBP).

Main Methods:

• A team-based approach to EBP was implemented, involving nurse managers (NMs), clinical nurses (CNs), and EBP mentors who received specialized education.
• Data collection utilized observations, interviews, journaling, and surveys at pre-intervention, mid-intervention, and post-intervention stages.

Main Results:

• Nurse managers (NMs) can effectively engage clinical nurses (CNs) in evidence-based practice (EBP) while fulfilling their responsibilities.
• Four key NM supportive behaviors were identified: cultivating a shared EBP vision, ensuring EBP utilization, communicating the value of EBP, and providing necessary resources.

Conclusions:

• Through targeted education and ongoing support, nurse managers (NMs) can adopt specific behaviors essential for the successful implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) by clinical nurses (CNs).