Impact of Good Practice Guidelines on Evidence-based Practice and Nurses' Work Environment

Overview

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has improved patient health outcomes. The work environment of nurses is a key element to improving the quality of care and to facilitate EBP, while also improving health outcomes. The CCEC® / BPSO® program consists of the implementation of Good Practice Guides in health organizations in the Spanish territory, and is carried out through a training and participatory methodology, actively involving nurses in the process. The present study tries to know if in the health organizations where the CCEC® / BPSO® program has been implemented, the perception of the nurses' working environment has improved, as well as their attitude towards evidence-based practice, with respect to organizations where this program has not been implemented.

Quasi-experimental pre-post multicentre study with a non-equivalent control group, within the framework of the third cohort of the RNAO Good Practice Guidelines Implementation Program in Centers Committed to Care Excellence (CCEC® / BPSO®). PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS: Intervention group(IG): (institutions included in the third cohort of CCEC®): Estructura de Gestión Integrada de Lugo, Cervo y Monforte de Lemos (Galicia), Hospital General Universitario Santa Lucía (Murcia), Xerencia de Xestión Integrada de A Coruña (Galicia), Hospital Guadarrama (Madrid), Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (Cataluña), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga (Andalucía), Organización Sanitaria Integrada OSI Araba (Araba). Control group(CG): Hospital Son Espases (Mallorca), Hospital Son Llàtzer (Mallorca), Hospital de Granollers (Barcelona), Hospital de Puigcerdà (Girona), Hospital d'Igualada (Barcelona), Hospital General Universitario de Alicante (Alicante), Hospital Comarcal de Vinaròs de Castellón de la Plana (Castellón), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (Barcelona), Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada (Madrid), Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona). To collect data, two validated questionnaires will be passed to all nurses in 7 health institutions where the RNAO Good Practice Guidelines Implementation Program begins (experimental group) and in 10 where it is not implemented (control group), both groups distributed throughout the Spanish territory. Basal data will be recorded before the beginning of the program and post intervention data will be recorded after one year. Then the results will be compared to determine whether there are differences between nurses who work in the group of hospitals that have started the program with respect to those who work in other centers. The total duration of the project will be three years.