Perceptions of Competence About Evidence-Based Practice Among Saudi Baccalaureate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

For more than 30 years, research utilization has been described in the literature, which predated the heightened interest and demand for using best research evidence in nursing practice. Fernandez, Tran, Ramjan, Ho, and Gill identified evidence-based practice (EBP) as a methodical approach for using the best research evidence when making clinical judgments, together with patient preference and clinical experience. Furthermore, EBP was defined as the use of evidence-based knowledge in the clinical situations, and its usage should be one of the most important educational objectives in nursing education as well as one of the important skills for registered nurses worldwide. In nursing education, students must be taught to appreciate the importance of utilizing best evidence in their nursing practice, especially during their clinical time in the healthcare setting. It is hoped that if they appreciate EBP that when they become nurses, they will play an important role in the decision-making related to patient care, along with other medical and allied health professionals.