oa Measuring attitudes and knowledge of evidence-based practice in the Qatar nursing workforce: A quantitative cross-sectional analysis of barriers to empowerment

Objectives: To explore the prevailing attitudes and knowledge of evidence-based practice (EBP), and to compare the relationship between EBP attitudes and knowledge, amongst nurses in Qatar's public health system.

Study design: A quantitative cross-sectional survey evaluating EBP-related attitudes and knowledge amongst a sample of 400 registered nurses at Hamad General Hospital (HGH), Qatar's largest public hospital.

Methods: Data was collected via a questionnaire, distributed to participants who were randomly selected using a hospital nursing staff directory. Descriptive analysis, Shapiro-Wilk Test for normality, Spearman's Rank Correlation Coefficient analysis (to evaluate significance of correlation exhibited between demographic and professional variables), Mann-Whitney U tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyse the data.

Results: Significant, positive correlation was found between EBP attitude and knowledge scores, indicating a complementary pattern in which EBP perceptions develop. Age was also found to have a significant, positive correlation with EBP attitude, though no other experience indictors provided significant outcomes. Application of EBP knowledge was found to increase with level of education and varied by clinical specialty, suggesting that both academic background and current professional practice exert influence on perceptions and familiarity with EBP.

Conclusion: The results offer valuable insight on EBP attitudes and knowledge in HGH's nursing workforce, indicating where EBP perceptions and preparedness may differ within. This study is a pivotal first step in understanding the status quo in Qatar's health system as it pertains to EBP, from which future research can help develop tailored development strategies for EBP implementation, leading to quality improvement in health outcomes.