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Spread the evidence-based practice word at your facility

Nurse Leader Weekly, August 7, 2006

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Evidence-based practice (EPB)-using the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients-continues to gain steam in the world of healthcare. To get the EPB ball rolling at your facility, it's important to share and discuss information about the changing industry. A council, made up on nurses, managers, educators, and specialists, can be a good place to start.

From there, spreading the word to the rest of the staff becomes crucial.

Some healthcare organizations have established a research or evidence-based practice bulletin board, which can be as simple as a cork board on each of the nursing units with a nursing research title or a specially created board with holders for handouts.

A nursing research "corner" on each clinical unit can serve as another method of distributing and communicating research topics to nurses. This corner might be a shelf or table within each unit's break room where articles, newsletters, and other materials can be distributed. The council minutes can be distributed via e-mail, via hardcopy, or on a research board/corner. Access to a nursing research "hotline" provides an easy way for nurses to communicate with the council regarding evidence-based questions or concerns.

Try using a research newsletter to distribute highlights from meeting minutes and disseminate other evidence-based practice updates. It could include some of the following headings:

• Evidence-based practice online resources and how to access these resources
• Examples of evidence-based practice
• Research term of the month
• Research and the Magnet initiative
• Update from the evidence-based nursing council and meeting dates/times
• Overview of research initiatives within your organizations
• Facilitators and barriers of evidence-based practice

The newsletter can be in a print or an electronic format and can be distributed or posted on the bulletin board. Finding a strategy that is consistent with organizational culture and that will grab staff nurses' attention will prove most helpful.

Developing and setting up a nursing research poster board can help council members periodically connect with staff members. Placing a poster where staff nurses eat lunch or in another high-traffic area increases the chances that it will be read. Research games, such as a crossword puzzle or bingo, also can be used to encourage participation with small prizes, candy, or handouts as incentives. Be creative, and try to connect with as many potentially interested staff nurses as possible to build enthusiasm for evidence-based practice.

Editor's note: This excerpt was adapted from HCPro's book Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: A Guide to Successful Implementation by Suzanne C. Beyea, RN, PhD, FAAN and Mary Jo Slattery, RN, MS.

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