Knowledge, Attitude and Use of Evidence-Based Practice among nurses active on the Internet.

OBJECTIVE to determine the evidence-based practice (EBP) competence of Spanish and Latin-American nurses participating in professional forums on the Internet and estimate the influence of socio-demographic and professional factors on their competence, which was defined as knowledge of, attitude towards, and implementation of EBP. METHODOLOGY An online survey was administered to a convenience sample of nurses active in Internet forums, comprising validated Spanish versions of the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ) and Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) and socio-demographics and professional variables. RESULTS 314 questionnaires were obtained (76.96%). The mean EBPQ score was 5.02 out of 7 (95%CI, 4.89-5.14). The variables associated with a higher competence in EBP were academic level, (p<03001), professional category (p=0.001), country of work (p<0.001), perception of practice environment (p=0,018) and research activities (p<0,036). CONCLUSIONS These nurses showed a moderate level of EBP competence. They revealed a positive attitude towards EBP and achieved intermediate scores in both EBP-related skills and knowledge and their implementation. Higher academic levels and professional categories were associated with greater EBP competence. A practice environment perceived to be unfavorable has a negative influence on EBP implementation.