Should Nurses Be Knowledge Brokers? Competencies and Organizational Resources to Support the Role.

Abstract

Registered nurses with graduate preparation are in a unique position to act as knowledge brokers owing to their extensive clinical experience and ability to be seen as a credible and respected resource by their peers. Nurse knowledge brokers can bridge the gap between research producers and those that need evidence for decision-making and support capacity development for evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). Knowledge broker competencies include graduate-level education with exposure to research methods; experience with the EIDM process; and established networking skills to bring researchers, decision-makers, stakeholders and policymakers together. For the knowledge broker to be successful, the nurse leader can cultivate an organizational culture supportive of evidence use with advocacy for mandates that require evidence for decisions, structures in place for each stage of the EIDM process, and physical resources such as library services for evidence retrieval.