Hospital nurses’ perceptions associated with implementing multiple guidelines: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Despite an increasing focus of integrating new knowledge and evidence into practice, implementation of research into practice is still under researched. Less attention has been paid to how nurses perceive the impact and outcomes of participating in Evidence Based Practice (EBP) implementation on themselves, their colleagues, and their patients. EBP is the use of scientific evidence to direct patient care whereas best practice guidelines are tools which guide clinical care to integrate best evidence into practice. Given the importance of EBP implementation linked to better patient outcomes, research is required to understand how nurses perceive being involved in implementation of EBP. This paper provides an overview of a study that was undertaken to explore nurses’ perceptions of being involved in implementing multiple best practice guidelines at one organization.

Methods: A two phased qualitative design was employed in this study. The first phase involved interviews and focus groups with 116 nurses. The second phase included a return of findings of the key themes stratified by unit level data with 63 nurses. Data was analyzed using a directed content analysis approach.

Results: Four key themes emerged related to nurses’ perceptions associated with implementation of multiple best practice guidelines dataset: having more credibility, being more mindful, increasing collaboration, and enhancing accountability.

Conclusions: The evidence derived from this qualitative study contributes to the body of knowledge around EBP and best practice guideline (BPG) implementation. Study findings may be used by nurse leaders in their efforts to ensure learning opportunities focus on equipping new nursing staff and reminding existing nursing staff of the principles of EBP and BPG implementation.