"Is this professionally correct?": understanding the criteria nurses use to evaluate information

Area of Science:

• Nursing Research
• Health Information Literacy
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Nurses critically assess diverse health information for patient care.
• Evaluating consumer health information and scholarly sources presents unique challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine nurses' criteria for evaluating health information.
• To compare evaluation criteria for consumer and scholarly health information.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach utilizing surveys and individual interviews.
• Nurses evaluated provided health information and verbalized their criteria.
• Data analyzed using descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Accuracy, relevance, authority, purpose, and currency were key criteria for both information types.
• Nurses frequently relied on easily identifiable features like source and funding.
• Awareness of evaluating empirical study methodology existed, but less so for review articles.

Conclusions:

• Nurses prioritize accurate, relevant information but often employ superficial evaluation.
• Educational initiatives should foster deeper critical appraisal skills in nursing students.
• Enhanced understanding of research methodologies, including systematic reviews, is necessary.