From Evidence Synthesis to Transfer: Results from a Qualitative Case Study with the Perspectives of Participants.

Abstract

The increase in health research brings challenges to the production, synthesis, and use of research findings in clinical practice. In the case of undergraduate training in nursing, it is necessary to think about the curricular contents and create opportunities to develop skills for learning evidence-based practice. The objective of this study was to analyze nurses’ perspectives regarding the effects of their participation in a project of translation of knowledge into clinical practice during undergraduate nursing education, specifically involving knowledge, attitudes, and competencies related to the use of evidence. This is a qualitative case study grounded in the knowledge-to-action theoretical framework. The participants were 13 nurses who were involved in a project about the translation of knowledge into clinical practice during the last term of their undergraduate course. The data were collected by applying interviews between December 2020 and April 2021. Content analysis was carried out by using the qualitative data analysis software tool webQDA®. The following categories emerged from the content analysis carried out on the material gathered during the interviews: understanding evidence; learning how to use evidence; transferring evidence; adjusting to the context; and observing the advantages of evidence-based practice. Extracurricular activities were perceived as an opportunity to understand what evidence is and observe in loco the advantages of health care for clients, teams, and services. During the project, the participants developed cross-sectional competencies and envisaged changes to their professional activity as a result of changes in their attitude regarding evidence and its use. We concluded that the opportunity to develop evidence-related activities allows for the development of skills and influences the attitude towards evidence-based practice and knowledge use.