Teaching Evidence-Based Nursing Practice in Geriatric Care Settings The Geriatric Nursing Innovations Through Education Institute

Evidence-based practice holds tremendous potential to optimize care outcomes for older adults, yet many nurses are ill prepared to identify, interpret, and apply the best evidence to their practice. The Geriatric Nursing Innovations through Education (GNIE) Institute is a 39-contact-hour, hybrid distance learning continuing education model designed to strengthen RNs' clinical knowledge, leadership skills, and capacity for implementing evidence-based geriatric care. The GNIE Institute combines reflective, learner-centered instructional approaches with a practicum during which evidence-based guidelines are implemented. The experiences of 128 RNs suggest that the GNIE Institute supports the implementation of a variety of best practices, including management of acute pain, dehydration, delirium, oral hygiene, urinary incontinence, and falls prevention. Participant feedback has shown low initial awareness of practice guidelines but high satisfaction with their use. The GNIE Institute thus represents a viable model for building the capacity of practicing RNs to implement evidence-based approaches to the care of geriatric syndromes across the care continuum.