Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practice Competency among Greek Undergraduate Nursing Students

For several years, the global scientific community has accepted and recognized the importance of evidence-based practice for nursing science. The main factor for the implementation of evidence-based practice is the competence of undergraduate nursing students towards evidence-based practice, so that they as active nurses are ready for its application in their clinical practice, in order to provide better care for their patients. The aim of the present study is to examine the level of evidence-based practice competency evaluated with the self-reported Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire. It is important to mention that such a study has not been conducted on nursing students in Greece, but only on registered nurses. A quantitative study based on cross-sectional design was conducted from February to June 2022 in a convenience sample of Greek undergraduate nursing students. The SPSS 26.0 program was used to perform descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses. A total of 175 undergraduate students participated at the Hellenic Mediterranean University Department of Nursing (Greece), specifically from the 2nd and 3rd academic years. The mean score of the Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire for nursing undergraduate students was 3.03 +/- 0.26, indicating moderate evidence-based practice. Among the Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire dimensions, mean scores of 3.03 +/- 0.32 for attitude toward evidence-based practice, 3.01 +/- 0.49 for skills in evidence-based practice, and 3.03 +/- 0.49 for knowledge in evidence-based practice were obtained. Significant differences among participants' mean Evidence-Based Practice Competence Questionnaire scores regarding gender (p = 0.766), age (p = 0.400), academic year (p = 0.153), and training in the field of research methodology (p = 0.538) were not found. It appears that the level of readiness towards evidence-based practice is mediocre among undergraduate nursing students at a university in Greece. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out new studies in the future, so that there is a correct approach of all the elements that contribute to the readiness of nursing undergraduate students regarding evidence-based practice.