Knowledge, skills, and attitudes to implementing best practice in hospitals in Central Vietnam

Background: Although nurses recognize the importance of evidence-based practice (EBP) to improve health outcomes, they still find its implementation complex. Successful EBP requires nurses to have the knowledge and expertise to appraise and critically apply evidence into practice. Objectives: The study sought to identify Central Vietnam nurses’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes to implementing EBP. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive research design was implemented to identify nurses’ ability to conduct EBP in two large hospitals in Central Vietnam. A total of 234 nurses returned completed surveys. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Nurses in Central Vietnam were not prepared for undertaking EBP. Only 29.5% of the respondents said they were familiar with the term EBP. Although they embraced a positive attitude toward EBP, they felt less confident to implement this innovation. Many failed to engage with research and still relied most heavily on informal information to guide their practice. Implications: The evidence obtained from this study supports the need for an education intervention to develop nurses’ knowledge and skills of research and research usage.