Primary healthcare nurse managers’ perceptions in relation to evidence-based practice and their role in further extension: A qualitative study

Objective

To explore the perceptions of primary healthcare nurse managers in relation to evidence based practice (EBP) and their role for further EBP extension.

Design

Bradshaw's qualitative descriptive approach.

Site

Primary Healthcare Centres in the Basque Country, Spain.

Participants

12 nurse managers in Primary Healthcare Centres.

Methods

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews in 2024, transcribed and analysed following qualitative content analysis.

Results

Three categories were elaborated during the analysis. The first one, ‘Somehow contradictory perceptions around EBP’ describes how participants considered EBP at the core of nursing while at the same time perceived it to be something abstract, difficult to achieve and to implement. The second category, ‘The tortuous pathway to EBP competence’ reflects how participants understood that acquiring EBP competence was not a straightforward process, but dependent on individual willingness and motivation of each nurse. Finally, the third category ‘EBP implementation: whose responsibility?’ covers participants’ reflections on their role in further EBP expansion as nursing supervisors along with reflections on institutional barriers and responsibility and action in this regard.

Conclusions

There was a great consensus among participants in this study about EBP being essential to provide quality healthcare but, at the same time, they perceived EBP as something abstract and difficult to implement and dependent on individual nurses’ willingness and motivation. Although participants extensively described organisational barriers for further EBP implementation, their role in EBP implementation was never described as advocating for an organisational change in favour of EBP but down the hierarchy towards the nurses under their management.