Factors affecting nurse practitioners' integration of evidence into practice

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Clinical practice guidelines are crucial for improving patient outcomes and care consistency.
• Adherence to evidence-based guidelines varies significantly among healthcare providers and institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors that help or hinder nurse practitioners in using guideline recommendations.
• Understanding these factors is key to improving guideline implementation in nursing.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was distributed to all nurse practitioners in Alabama.
• The survey assessed attitudes towards guidelines, implementation facilitators and barriers, and resource utilization.

Main Results:

• Top barriers include patient comorbidities, time constraints, patient pressure, staffing shortages, and financial limitations.
• Key facilitators are easy/free guideline access, leadership support, in-person education, and clinical decision support software.
• Nurse practitioners desire accessible guidelines, decision support tools, and collaborative learning opportunities.

Conclusions:

• Identified barriers and facilitators can inform future interventions to boost guideline implementation.
• Enhancing guideline adoption requires addressing systemic and individual-level factors in healthcare settings.