Evidence-based practice has been demonstrated to positively impact patient outcomes, yet nurses are having difficulty incorporating it into their practice. The purpose of this study was to determine the educational needs of intensive care unit nurses regarding evidence-based practice and to implement a strategy to meet those needs. Evidence-based practice education in this pilot study was shown as an effective catalyst to nurses beginning and participating in evidence-based practice that could potentially improve patient outcomes.

E vidence-based practice (EBP) has the potential to empower nurses, improve patient outcomes, and increase patient safety. Despite the abundance of supporting research, many practicing nurses don't believe in the important role that EBP has in patient care and their own capability to participate in EBP projects. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine whether active participation in EBP in the form of an evidence-based journal club impacted nurses' EBP beliefs. Literature reviewMany studies have been conducted with the intent of understanding specific nursing barriers to the implementation of EBP. Research has suggested that a lack of time and skills to participate in EBP is reflective of staff nurses' beliefs. 1,2 As EBP initiatives increase in popularity, we must explore alternative methods to entice nurses to participate in the EBP process, thus impacting their current beliefs and EBP skill level. Journal clubs have the potential to increase EBP participation in a fun and interactive way.Traditionally journal clubs were used to teach nurses about the research process and increase basic nursing knowledge. 3,4 However, the current focus of journal clubs is to use evidence-based research to teach nurses the skills to apply research findings to patient care, potentially improving patient outcomes. As Luby, Riley, and Towne state, participating in journal clubs potentially provides an outlet for nurses to participate in continuing education and practice change initiatives. 5 Evidence-based journal club participation has been identified to vary from 7 to 70 members. MethodsThe primary investigator requested a sample of 7 volunteers from a pool of 80 practicing ICU nurses at a local university hospital in New Jersey to participate in an EBP journal club. Before implementation of the journal club, the institutional review board at the university hospital gave ethical approval of the pilot study. An e-mail was sent to all 80 ICU RNs' work e-mail addresses, describing the journal club's objective and participation guidelines. The first seven nurses who responded to the request were chosen to participate. The nurses were asked to confidentially complete Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt's EBP Beliefs Scale before the first interaction of the journal club. The EBP Beliefs Scale was developed from previously developed scales by Melnyk and colleagues. 6,7,8 The scale assesses nurses' current beliefs regarding the value of EBP in clinical care and the nurses' confidence in their EBP implementation skills. The EBP Beliefs Scale was chosen due to its established reliability and validity testing. Reliability of the tool was demonstrated with a Cronbach alpha of 0.90, r = 0.87. 9 Permission for use was obtained directly from Dr. Fineout-Overholt.Each week the primary investigator posted a new evidence-based article online for the journal club members to discuss. Participants were asked to summarize the article, identify implications for practice, and evaluate applicability of the research findings to bedside care. Participants ...

This position paper is a brief review of the importance of practice guidelines in clinical use. Emphasis is placed on evidence-based practice guidelines and research. This position paper attests to the importance of the use of guidelines that direct clinical nursing practice.

This brief article discusses the use of prayer in nursing and medicine. Although many believe prayer is a valuable tool, there is still much controversy. This author offers some insight into the value of prayer.

This pilot study was conducted using a convenience sample of graduate nursing students to explore the relationship between learning styles and the affinity for concept mapping as a tool to understand complex topics. The findings suggested all identified learning styles acknowledged the usefulness of concept mapping in understanding complex concepts. However, although most participants deemed concept mapping as helpful in understanding complex concepts, 90% stated they did not routinely create them when not required to do so.