First line nurse managers’ experiences of opportunities and obstacles to support evidence‐based nursing

AIM: The aim was to explore first line nurse managers’ experiences of opportunities and obstacles to support evidence‐based nursing. DESIGN: A qualitative study with a phenomenographical approach. METHOD: Data were collected through focus group interviews with 15 first line nurse managers’ in four settings. RESULTS: The results are presented in four categories of description headed: Manage the everyday work vs. evidence‐based nursing; Uncertainties about evidence‐based nursing and nursing research; Time as a reality, as an approach; and Shaping awareness—towards an active approach to evidence‐based nursing. The overarching category of description has been formulated as follows: The internal relation—how active leadership influences evidence‐based nursing. The outcome space is presented as: The individual path—how to make vision and reality become a working entity around evidence‐based nursing.