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Weekly Q&A: How long does it take to start EBP?

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, July 12, 2005

This week, a reader asks how much time is involved in creating an environment for evidence-based practice (EBP). Read the response below from our advisor, Cheryl May, MBA, BSN, BA, director of professional practice at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

Q: How long does it take to get evidence-based practice started at an organization?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this. I think it depends on the amount of organizational support for EBP and what level of RN education you have throughout the facility. To start, you definitely need to identify nurse champions to ease the transition. This is critical because EBP is a major change, and change is not easy for most of us. Identifying those champions will move the process forward, along with establishing the right council structure and designing activities, such as educational sessions on EBP and unit-based journal clubs.

My experience has been that as you move into EBP across the department of nursing, not everyone moves at the same rate. Some people will need to stop and reevaluate the basics of EBP, and others will quickly need more resources than you originally intended to allocate, so don't anticipate a synchronized process across the division of nursing.

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