Attitudes and Knowledge about Evidence-Based Practice among Saudi Postgraduate Nursing Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Evidence-based practice (EBP) has helped nurses in taking medical decisions and staying up-to-date with the latest knowledge in nursing care. Nurses need to have a positive attitude, enough knowledge, and an awareness of relevant research to apply EBP and promote high-quality nursing care effectively. This study was carried out to assess Saudi postgraduate nursing students’ attitudes, knowledge, and practice about evidence-based practice. Methods: A descriptive survey with cross-sectional data collection was conducted online by applying the evidence-based practice questionnaire (EBPQ) to 311 Saudi postgraduate nurses. Results: The overall mean EBPQ score was 5.44±.74. Attitude had the highest mean score (5.81±1.08), followed by knowledge (5.52±.85) and practice (5.00±.94). Low-to-moderate significant correlations were found among the three EBPQ components (practice-attitude: r=.257; practice-knowledge: r=.296; attitude-knowledge: r=.569; P<.001). Age, marital status, and smoking status had a significant impacted on the participants’ responses (P<.05). Nurses aged 41–50 had the highest attitude score among all age groups. Married nurses had higher knowledge scores than the other groups, while smokers had higher practice scores than non-smokers. Conclusions: Here, the average total score was higher than those reported in previous studies, indicating the willingness of Saudi nurses to contribute to evidence-based practice by improving their knowledge and attitudes.

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