The feasibility of introducing an evidence based practice cycle into a clinical area: An evaluation of process and outcome

SummaryThe aim was to examine the feasibility of introducing an evidence based practice (EBP) cycle into a practice area within an undergraduate pre-registration programme.The cycle involved four meetings over five weeks on a cardiac intensive care unit. Three 3rd year adult branch nursing students participated with their mentors. A web page for the project was developed to support the process.Evaluation focused on changes in EBP knowledge and skills and issues around implementation and perceived value of the EBP cycle. The findings showed that the EBP cycle was straight forward to set up and was recognised as being of value by both students and mentors. The students demonstrated modest improvements in EBP knowledge and skills. The main problems were lack of time and difficulties in accessing on-line resources.