FYI – not news to those who saw this Friday on MEDLIB, but interesting that
AJN chose to highlight via early August news release, forwarded below. One
response on the NPInfo list comment stated:

“Thanks for posting the article. Reality is not the enemy, and we need to
face the facts about the lack of EBP in nursing.”

After forwarding to the NAHRS/MLA list and learning that the article was not
yet online, members suggested waiting to forward until published.  The
article is now available at 
http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/journalarticleprint.asp?Article_ID=5992
56  – free access as CE – citation:

Readiness of U.S. Nurses for Evidence-Based Practice by Diane S. Pravikoff
PhD, RN, FAAN,                                               Annelle B.
Tanner EdD, RN and Susan T. Pierce EdD, RN

AJN, American Journal of Nursing, September 2005, Vol. 105 Number 9 Pages 40
- 51 

Accompanying editorial:
http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=599206.


For those who didn’t see MEDLIB reference, the September AJN also included
an article on nursing information resources:

Nursing Resources: Making the Most of Nursing’s Electronic Resources:
Accessing evidence-based Web sites.  
By librarian Cheryl Dee PhD:
http://www.nursingcenter.com/library/JournalArticle.asp?Article_ID=599272
(not free).

Dee's article did not reference Essential Nursing References from the
Interagency Council on Information Resources for Nursing (ICIRN),
http://www.nln.org/nlnjournal/nursingreferences.htm.  Watch for a new
edition of this resource to be published in Nursing Education Perspectives
later this year. This edition will include a new section on evidence-based
practice resources for nursing.  Note that the ICIRN Research Committee was
responsible for the Pravikoff article.

Hope this helps - Peg

Margaret (Peg) Allen, MLS-AHIP
Peg Allen, Library Consultant http://www.pegallen.net
PO Box 2, 308 Kann, Stratford, WI 54484-0002
(715) 687-4976 Voice & Fax
mailto:[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of David Mittman
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2005 8:03 PM
To: NP Info
Subject: [NPInfo] Interesting article on research

Don’t shoot me, I am only the messenger.
Study Shows Nurses Unable to Engage in Research Practices Essential for
Positive Patient Outcomes
Tuesday August 9, 8:00 am ET 

Results Spark Call-to-Action for Students, Educators, Clinicians and
Administrators to Facilitate Change 

NEW YORK, Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent study published in the September
issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), found that many U.S.
registered nurses are not ready to engage in evidence-based practice (EBP),
the "gold standard" approach to clinical problem solving, due to gaps in
computer literacy knowledge and skills, limited access to quality
information resources and attitudes toward research. This lack in usage
could adversely affect patient outcomes.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a systematic research process that uses the
best evidence currently available for clinical decision making in order to
provide the most consistent and best possible care for patients.

"Most nurses practice nursing based on what they learned in nursing school.
Given that the average age of today's nurse is over 40, nursing school was
many years ago," said Diane Pravikoff, PhD, RN, managing editor of the
Online Journal of Clinical Innovations and director of research and
professional liaison at Cinahl Information Systems in Glendale, CA and
author of the study. "This presents the profession with a serious dilemma.
The community and patients demand a professional practice based on the most
recent up-to-date information and, there are healthcare providers who may
not be prepared to meet these demands because they don't know how to find
information or don't have the tools to obtain it."

While nurses acknowledge that they frequently need information for practice,
they feel more confident in asking colleagues, peers and searching the
Internet than in using more credible bibliographic databases such as PubMed
or CINAHL to find specific information. Personal and organizational barriers
to research utilization and implementation of EBP include:


     * Lack of time and access.  Only 18% of nurses had access to the CINAHL
       database and 40% to MEDLINE, yet 98% to the Internet and World Wide
       Web.

     * Technological search skills in electronic environment.  Eighty-three
       percent of respondents consider themselves at least somewhat
successful
       when searching the Internet or World Wide Web, yet only 19% and 36%
       respectively are confident in their abilities to search CINAHL or
       MEDLINE.

     * Attitudes toward research.  Many of the respondents did not
understand
       the value of research in practice stating that the importance of
       research and its contribution to patient care is not being made in
       education or practice.  Many respondents also lack understanding of
       electronic databases and many have difficulty understanding research
       articles.  Many RNs believe that they are not adequately prepared to
       appraise research and interpret its usefulness for clinical
       decision-making.

    The Study

The study was based on a descriptive exploratory survey to examine U.S. RNs'
perceptions of information resources available to them and their skills in
using these resources. The results were based on a geographically stratified
random sample of 1,097 U.S. RNs. Of those, 987 were RNs in administration,
education or clinical practice roles. Seven hundred and sixty worked in
clinical settings.

"These barriers must be addressed if the largest group of healthcare
providers in the nation is to embrace a culture of evidence-based practice,"
said Diana Mason, PhD, RN, editor-in-chief, American Journal of Nursing.
"Integrating EBP into nursing requires a multifaceted approach that involves
students, educators, clinicians and administrators working collectively to
facilitate a change."

About AJN

Founded in 1900, the American Journal of Nursing is the official publication
of the American Nurses Association and the largest and oldest
continually-circulating nursing journal in the world. It is published by
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (http://www.LWW.com), a leading international
publisher of professional health information resources for physicians,
nurses, specialized clinicians and students. Nearly 275 periodicals and
1,500 books in more than 100 disciplines are published under the LWW brand,
as well as content-based sites and online corporate and customer services.
LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information for
professionals and students in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and
the pharmaceutical industry.

Contact: Cindy Gessell


              American Journal of Nursing
              201/652-4778