Harnessing an Evidence-Based Practice Toolkit and Organizational-Behavior Change Models to Advance EBP Cultures

Description of the Problem: Evidence-based practice competency among US nurses continues to lag. Thus, nurses’ collective ability to contribute to the Quintuple Aim is weakened. Purpose: This article aims to increase clinical nurse specialists’ awareness and utilization of a compendium of tools that build an evidence-based practice culture and improve patient and organizational outcomes. Actions and Interventions: An EBP compendium includes 50 tools that assess key facets of an evidence-based practice culture—attitudes/beliefs, self-efficacy, knowledge/skills, and implementation. Using the Advancing Research through Close Collaboration and the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behavior Models as organizing frameworks, clinical nurse specialists can select tools from this compendium to conduct a baseline assessment of nurses’ capability, motivation, and opportunity to routinely implement evidence-based practice. Clinical nurse specialists can then craft interventions from the Behavior Change Wheel to enhance nurses’ evidence-based practice capability, motivation and/or opportunity. Progress in advancing the culture can be measured over time with validated tools and competencies, as demonstrated by an exemplar from a magnet-designated health care system. Conclusions: Clinical nurse specialists have advanced clinical and systems expertise to harness the compendium toolkit to strengthen the culture of evidence-based practice in units and organizations. This indispensable leadership can narrow the research-to-practice gap and advance health outcomes.