Nursing Journal Clubs Enhance Evidence-Based Practice Stacey Pfenning DNP APRN,BC FNP In Collaboration with Becky Graner MSN, RN and the North Dakota Nurses Association THE PURPOSE State Journal Club for Nurses: Web-Based Model Brings thought to Form The appropriate utilization of evidence-based practice (EBP) by nurses is vital to providing cost effective, safe, and up-to-date patient care. However, literature revealed several barriers to EBP, contributing to a disparity between current research and bedside care. Barriers included nurses’ attitudes and perceived limitations in knowledge and skills essential for EBP 1, 3, 4 . According to the evidence, journal clubs may act as a cost effective and well accepted approach to bridging the research and practice gap 2. The aim of this study was to determine select nurse attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of EBP before and after participation in a journal club. Permission obtained from Roseanne Schmidt 5/5/10 to keep St. Alexius in the setting section. State Journal Club Vision: to promote and empower the growth and development of our profession through state-based participation. How the Club Works: Access website: www.ndnursesjournalclub.com Browse EBP links, materials, practice questions, submitted Critically Appraised Topics, ND Nurses Blog. Participate through collegial discussion on blog, submitting practice issues and any other EBP work done. Model: Demonstrates the utilization of open space technology to promote best practice at the bedside across a rural state. This provides an opportunity for all nurses and nursing students, whether in administration, education, or at the bedside, to collaborate on practice issues. Nursing students benefit from journal club activity, as it cultivates professional development and accountability, supporting the transition from scholastic activities to practice. Organizationally, nurse educators are in an excellent position to develop and facilitate these journal clubs for staff development. THE APPROACH Design: The quasi-experimental, descriptive design incorporated data collection pre- and post-journal club intervention. Author permission was obtained for the Clinical Effectiveness and Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire© (EBPQ), a published 24-item, self-report tool designed to assess select nurse attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of EBP. Exempt IRB approval was granted . The intervention included 3 club meetings over 9 weeks. Participants developed practice questions; retrieved, appraised, and disseminated evidence. Descriptive statistics and Paired t test were utilized for the evaluation of the measures pre- and post-intervention. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was considered to determine reliability and internal consistency of the EBPQ© tool, both pre- and post-intervention. Setting: St. Alexius Emergency and Trauma Center (ETC) in Bismarck, ND. St. Alexius is a rural level two trauma center with 306 beds. Sample: Target population included staff nurses in the ETC. Power analysis (α = .05, power = .70, effect of γ = .50) projected sample of 26 nurses. Objectives #1: Establish relevant aggregate demographic characteristics of participants. #2: Measure pre-intervention attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of EBP. #3: Measure post-intervention attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of EBP. #4: Describe changes in participants’ attitudes, knowledge, and utilization of EBP before and after the journal club initiative. THE RESULTS AND IMPLICATIONS These tables illustrate the pre- and post EBPQ© results. The mean of each item increased post-intervention. Paired t tests revealed significant findings for item 1 of the attitude and all knowledge and utilization items. Cronbach’s alpha revealed significant pre-and post-EBPQ reliability. These findings provided substantial evidence that a journal club promotes the EBP process. This study lead to the initiation of a state web-based journal club for all nurses and nursing students in North Dakota. This online club is sponsored and hosted by the North Dakota Nurses Association in collaboration with the investigator of this work. Pfenning, S. & Graner, B. 2010 TM CONTACT S AND REFERENCES Contact Information: Dr. Stacey Pfenning 900 East Broadway Ave email: staceypfenning@yahoo.com Bismarck, ND 58506 phone: 701-224-1325; 701-530-7001 References: Brady, N. & Lewin, L. (2007). Evidence-based practice in nursing: Bridging the gap between research and practice. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 21, 53-56. Dwyer, J. (2007). Nursing journal clubs: How to develop and achieve success with your efforts. American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing 29(3), 1, 14-15. Hutchinson, A., & Johnston, L. (2006). Beyond the barriers scale: Commonly reported barriers to research use. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 36, 189-199. Melnyk, B., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2005). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Upton, D. & Upton, P. (2006). Development of an evidence-based practice questionnaire for nurses. Methodological Issues in Nursing Research, 454-458.