Improving Nurses’ Skills and Supporting a Culture of Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

Evidence-based practice is critical to hospitals achieving high quality performance measures, improving patient outcomes, and reducing mortality and costs. Nurses who perform evidence-based care report greater job satisfaction, which leads to less turnover or occupational burnout. Librarians play an essential role in establishing an evidence-based culture in their organizations and supporting the nursing staff so that they are not only competent, but also confident in meeting evidence-based competencies. Action steps librarians can take include augmenting their collections with evidence-based resources, collaborating with staff to help them find the best evidence, and assisting with the first four steps of the evidence-based practice model.

KEYWORDS:

• Advanced practice nursing
• clinical competence
• evidence-based practice
• hospital libraries
• information literacy
• surveys and questionnaires

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marilyn Gerette Teolis

Marilyn Gerette Teolis, MLS ([email protected]) is the Clinical Medical Librarian for James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and Clinics, 13000 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612.