Barriers to adopting evidence-based practice: A cross-sectional study among undergraduate nursing students in Vietnam

Pham Thi Thu Hien; Luu Thi Thuy; Nguyen Thi  Yen Hoai

doi:10.18502/npt.v11i1.14941

Pham Thi Thu Hien Thien Hanh Hospital, Dak Lak, Vietnam
Luu Thi Thuy Faculty of Nursing, Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, Da Nang, Vietnam
Nguyen Thi Yen Hoai Faculty of Nursing, Da Nang University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, Da Nang, Vietnam

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/npt.v11i1.14941

Keywords: barriers; evidence-based-practice; nursing students; Vietnam

Abstract

Background & Aim: As the future nursing workforce, evidence-based practice is one of the key competencies for undergraduate nursing students in delivering safe and quality care. While plenty of studies investigate nurses' evidence-based practice, understanding this topic is limited among nursing students. Thus, this study aimed to identify barriers and associated factors to adopting evidence-based practice among undergraduate nursing students in Vietnam.

Methods & Materials: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 395 undergraduate nursing students who were conveniently selected at a public university in Central Vietnam from March to May 2022. A questionnaire was administered to collect information about general characteristics and barriers to implementing evidence-based practice regarding knowledge, practice, authority, setting, and research utilization. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20.0 with descriptive statistics, independent T-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficients.

Results: Among 395 participants, most of them faced barriers regarding knowledge (91.9%), practice (96.2%), authority (89.1%), clinical setting (92.2%), and research utilization (96.2%). The most mentioned barriers were related to research utilization and clinical settings. Barriers to adopting evidence-based practice were significantly associated with a level of seeking information about research/scientific evidence and a level of participating in research/implementing evidence-based practice (p<.05). Moreover, knowledge barriers were related to age, school year, and sources of data for searching (p<.05).

Conclusion: Undergraduate nursing students have faced many barriers when adopting scientific evidence into clinical practice. Supporting students in addressing these barriers is necessary to enhance their evidence-based practice competency.