Evidence-Based Educational Program Engages Nurses at the Bedside to Implement EBP
Background: Bedside nurse positions only encompass their time at the bedside. There is little opportunity during their 12-hour shifts to step away in order to research best practices, identify solutions to problems, or keep up with current nursing literature. The Nursing Research Council offers classes on “How to” for writing clinical questions in PICO format, the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, literature reviews, or research articles. There is a Director of Nurse Research, publication workshops, and a Nurse Residency Program that provides recently graduated nurses with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and complete an evidence-based project. We hypothesized that, “By providing bedside nurses with dedicated time and money, knowledge, participation, and implementation of practice improvement would increase”.
Method: Baccalaureate prepared nurses were invited to apply for an Evidence-Based Practice Champion position. Nurse from various areas participated such as; Pediatrics, Progressive Care, Neonatal, ICU, Interventional Radiology, and OR services. The program provided four hours a week of paid release time for 10 bedside nurses a year. Time included education about EBP, researching practice improvement issues happening on a unit or in the institution. The champions were trained one-on-one by the program facilitator, content experts, or attendance at hospital provided evidence-based practice class. The program was funded by the University of New Mexico Hospitals. Projects completed were presented at a hospital-wide conference. Examples of this were; “Sternal Precaution Training in Pediatric Cardiac Patients”, “Code Situations and Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI) Medications”, and “Can a Cleaning Protocol Replace the need for Disposable ECG leads”.
Outcomes Achieved: The training program took place over 2 years and 20 nurses were enrolled. Nurses at the bedside made 11 practice changes, two IRB approvals, and three hospital-wide initiatives. Two publications in peer reviewed nursing journals were generated and a third manuscript has been submitted. Seven posters were presented at statewide and national conferences. The nurses reported that they experienced professional growth during the program and that it was instrumental in advancing them into positions of leadership and higher education (MSN and DNP).
Conclusion: The Evidence-Based Practice Champion program allowed nurses to learn, present, and write about evidence-based practice by feeling supported and guided to bring their ideas to the forefront.