Evidence-Based Practice Competency of Registered Nurses in the Greek National Health Service

Abstract

Nurses’ competency toward evidence-based practice (EBP) has been extensively investigated by several studies worldwide. However, factors affecting the competence of Greek nurses working in the NHS have not been fully investigated in terms of EBP. Thus, this study aimed to explore the impact of the individual qualifications of nurses on their competence toward EBP. Data from 473 registered nurses working in 10 hospitals in the Greek National Health Service (NHS) were collected between October and December 2020 using a convenience sampling method in a cross-section design. The Greek version of the 35-item (five-point Likert scale) Evidence-Based Practice Competency Questionnaire for Professional Registered Nurses (EBP-COQ Prof) was used to assess the competence level of nurses, focusing on attitudes, skills, and knowledge, as well as the utilization of EBP in clinical practice. One-way ANOVA and Pearson coefficient tests were applied to compare the possible differences among variables (two or more groups) as appropriate. A multi-factorial regression model was applied to explore participants’ qualifications, including demographics (MSc degree, gender, English language knowledge, etc.) as independent variables, and to control for potential confounding effects toward EBP competency. The p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The mean age of the 473 participants (402 women and 71 men) was 44.7 ± 9.2 years old. The mean value of competence subscales was found as follows: attitudes 3.9 ± 0.6, knowledge 3.7 ± 0.6, skills 3.1 ± 0.8, and utilization 3.4 ± 0.7. A multivariate regression analysis revealed that associates of “Master’s degree” (t = 3.039, p = 0.003), “Writing an academic article” (3.409, p = 0.001), “Working in a University clinic” (2.203, p = 0.028), and “Computer Skills” (2.404, p = 0.017) positively affected “Attitudes”, “Knowledge”, “Skills”, and “Utilization”, respectively. The research data suggest that nurses working in the Greek NHS were limited in competence regarding EBP in comparison with other European countries. Therefore, vocational, educational, and training programs tailored to EBP enhancement are crucially important. This study was not registered.

A Delphi Study on Identifying Competencies in Virtual Healthcare for Healthcare Professionals

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“…SEHA Virtual Hospital (SVH) is the first virtual hospital in the Middle East and North Africa and the first hospital worldwide to obtain Canadian accreditation. It offers more than 29 specialties and 73 subspecialties [13]. It is connected to a network of over 170 hospitals across all regions in Saudi Arabia.…”

“…They share their vital signs, while tests and x-rays are shared with a network of specialists who offer their assessments and healthcare recommendations. The hospital's specialists provide multiple healthcare services, including emergence and critical advice (such as virtual strokes and electroencephalography), specialized clinics (such as blood diseases, psychiatry, and heart diseases), home care services, and medical support services (including virtual pharmacy services and virtual pathology) [13].…”

Factors Related to Evidence-Based Practice among Community Nurses in Greece: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…To our best knowledge, Greek nurses' knowledge, attitudes and implementation of EBP [21,22], especially in community nurses [23], is understudied. In particular, it was found that the majority of the participants did not have an in-depth knowledge of EBP and did not implement it in clinical practice [21].…”

“…In another study [24], in a sample of midwives and midwifery students, 43.5% of the participants stated that they knew the term EBP, with the first source of information being colleagues (52.2%) and the second searching the internet in general (48.8%), but not in EBP databases. Schesaki et al [22], in a recent study, indicated that factors such as holding a master's degree, having experience in writing academic papers, working in a university clinic and possessing computer skills had a positive influence on hospital nurses' attitudes, knowledge, skills and practices. In the only study involving a sample of community nurses, it was revealed that approximately half of these nurses were acquainted with EBP and held favorable attitudes toward it.…”