Abstract

Poster presentation

Session E presented Tuesday, October 1, 10:00-11:00 am

Purpose: Background: Consistent implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) leads to high-quality safe care, improved patient outcomes, and reduced costs (Melnyk et al., 2018). EBP empowers clinicians and leads to higher levels of engagement, teamwork, and job satisfaction (Melnyk et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2017). EBP mentors are key facilitators of EBP implementation (Kim et al., 2017; Levin et al., 2011; Melnyk et al., 2017). Having an EBP culture, EBP knowledge, a belief in the ability to implement EBP, and EBP mentorship makes EBP implementation and competency possible and sustainable (Melnyk et al., 2018). Purpose: This study tested the effectiveness of a dynamic Registered Nurse (RN) mentoring and educational program, facilitated by division-level RN mentors, to introduce, promote, and sustain an evidence-based practice culture among nurses in the ED setting.

Design: Design: Descriptive quantitative study using pretest – posttest design.

Setting: Setting: A 100-bed emergency department, level one trauma center, 714 bed teaching hospital part of a six hospital health system.

Participants/Subjects: Participants: Convenience sample of emergency nurses, pre (n = 55-61) and post intervention (n = 27-29) in a 100-bed emergency department. Participants were exclusively RN’s employed full-time, part-time, or per diem within The Reading Hospital’s ED and were voluntarily consented to be included in this study.

Methods: This 10-month IRB approved descriptive quantitative study was funded by two grants totaling approximately $50,000.00. Pretest – posttest design employed the Organizational Culture & Readiness for System-Wide Integration of Evidence-Based Practice (OCRSIEP), EBP Beliefs (EBPB), EBP Implementation (EBPI); and demographic data questionnaire as measurements. The OCRSIEP is used to measure organizational readiness for and barriers to integration of EBP. The EBPB scale measures EBP beliefs and values. The EBPI instrument is used to measure level of EBP implementation. Fifteen RN staff (EBP RN mentors) attended a one-week intensive EBP training program at Johns Hopkins University. EBP RN Mentor lead interventions focused on developing EBP culture within the ED and competency of RN staff. Interventions included a four-hour "hands on" EBP seminar, an EBP specific contest entitled, "The Uniquely Better Contest", which received attention at a national conference, and other educative and practical interventions.

Results/Outcomes: There were statistically significant individual item increases: awareness of EBP mentors (t = 1.99; p = .05); EBP culture movement (t = 3.29; p = .001); EBP steps (t = 2.82; p = .006); how to measure clinical outcomes (t = 2.09; p = .039); access to best EBP resources (t = 2.84; p = .006); and confidence in ability to implement EBP (t = 2.10; p = .039). Subscale scores were not statistically different pre-post intervention.

Implications: RN EBP trained mentors and educational interventions facilitated by the mentors demonstrated positive movement in establishing a culture of and competency in EBP within an emergency division. The data from this study adds additional evidence and supports findings from previous studies (Kim et al., 2017; Levin et al., 2011; Melnyk et al., 2017) that EBP trained mentors are effective in building a culture of EBP as well as positively impacting clinician knowledge and skills in EBP.

Author Details

Alan P. Howard, MSN, RN, M.Div., CEN; Mary Bilotta, MSN, RN, AGCNS-BC, CEN

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Evidence-based, Culture, Competency

Conference Name

Emergency Nursing 2019

Conference Host

Emergency Nurses Association

Conference Location

Austin, Texas, USA

Conference Year

2019

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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Building a culture of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the ED through RN EBP mentors

Austin, Texas, USA

Poster presentation

Session E presented Tuesday, October 1, 10:00-11:00 am

Purpose: Background: Consistent implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) leads to high-quality safe care, improved patient outcomes, and reduced costs (Melnyk et al., 2018). EBP empowers clinicians and leads to higher levels of engagement, teamwork, and job satisfaction (Melnyk et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2017). EBP mentors are key facilitators of EBP implementation (Kim et al., 2017; Levin et al., 2011; Melnyk et al., 2017). Having an EBP culture, EBP knowledge, a belief in the ability to implement EBP, and EBP mentorship makes EBP implementation and competency possible and sustainable (Melnyk et al., 2018). Purpose: This study tested the effectiveness of a dynamic Registered Nurse (RN) mentoring and educational program, facilitated by division-level RN mentors, to introduce, promote, and sustain an evidence-based practice culture among nurses in the ED setting.

Design: Design: Descriptive quantitative study using pretest – posttest design.

Setting: Setting: A 100-bed emergency department, level one trauma center, 714 bed teaching hospital part of a six hospital health system.

Participants/Subjects: Participants: Convenience sample of emergency nurses, pre (n = 55-61) and post intervention (n = 27-29) in a 100-bed emergency department. Participants were exclusively RN’s employed full-time, part-time, or per diem within The Reading Hospital’s ED and were voluntarily consented to be included in this study.

Methods: This 10-month IRB approved descriptive quantitative study was funded by two grants totaling approximately $50,000.00. Pretest – posttest design employed the Organizational Culture & Readiness for System-Wide Integration of Evidence-Based Practice (OCRSIEP), EBP Beliefs (EBPB), EBP Implementation (EBPI); and demographic data questionnaire as measurements. The OCRSIEP is used to measure organizational readiness for and barriers to integration of EBP. The EBPB scale measures EBP beliefs and values. The EBPI instrument is used to measure level of EBP implementation. Fifteen RN staff (EBP RN mentors) attended a one-week intensive EBP training program at Johns Hopkins University. EBP RN Mentor lead interventions focused on developing EBP culture within the ED and competency of RN staff. Interventions included a four-hour "hands on" EBP seminar, an EBP specific contest entitled, "The Uniquely Better Contest", which received attention at a national conference, and other educative and practical interventions.

Results/Outcomes: There were statistically significant individual item increases: awareness of EBP mentors (t = 1.99; p = .05); EBP culture movement (t = 3.29; p = .001); EBP steps (t = 2.82; p = .006); how to measure clinical outcomes (t = 2.09; p = .039); access to best EBP resources (t = 2.84; p = .006); and confidence in ability to implement EBP (t = 2.10; p = .039). Subscale scores were not statistically different pre-post intervention.

Implications: RN EBP trained mentors and educational interventions facilitated by the mentors demonstrated positive movement in establishing a culture of and competency in EBP within an emergency division. The data from this study adds additional evidence and supports findings from previous studies (Kim et al., 2017; Levin et al., 2011; Melnyk et al., 2017) that EBP trained mentors are effective in building a culture of EBP as well as positively impacting clinician knowledge and skills in EBP.