Effect of an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Educational Program on the Competence of Nursing Students

Evidence based practice (EBP) is a critical thinking approach used to educate persons by gathering evidences from well-designed researches and utilize this in clinical. Teaching nursing students with basic knowledge and skills regarding evidence-based practice will be a great achievement. The knowledge of the nurses is inadequate and their attitude is not favorable towards the utilization of EBP. This study aimed to assess the effect of an evidence-based practice educational program on the evidence-based practice competence (knowledge, attitude, skills) of nursing students. The quasi-experimental study was carried out at Saida Waheed FMH College of Nursing Lahore, Pakistan March 15, 2022, to December 10, 2022. A sample of 36 nursing students was taken via simple random sampling. The data was collected using the EBP Competence Questionnaire (EBP-COQ). Data was entered and analyzed by SPSS 25.0. The study results revealed that nursing student’s knowledge was not adequate regarding Evidence-based Practice. Their attitude was good and their skills were not sufficient regarding EBP. According to the study's findings, nursing students can enhance their proficiency in EBP by participating in a learning intervention that combines theoretical and practical lessons on the EBP procedure with the inclusion of the critical incident technique during their clinical years. Although information is deficient regarding the best EBP education model or curriculum, the findings of this study may be helpful to other academic institutions.