Improving Nurses' Skills and Supporting a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice is critical to hospitals achieving high quality performance measures, improving patient outcomes, and reducing mortality and costs. Nurses who perform evidence-based care report greater job satisfaction, which leads to less turnover or occupational burnout. Librarians play an essential role in establishing an evidence-based culture in their organizations and supporting the nursing staff so that they are not only competent, but also confident in meeting evidence-based competencies. Action steps librarians can take include augmenting their collections with evidence-based resources, collaborating with staff to help them find the best evidence, and assisting with the first four steps of the evidence-based practice model.