Rwandan nursing students’ knowledge, attitudes and application of evidence-based practice

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice (EBP) plays a key role in improving health outcomes of a country’s population; however, the teaching of EBP is often theoretical and inconsistent, resulting in negative attitudes and limited application. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge, attitudes and application of EBP by nursing students at a school of nursing in Rwanda. METHOD: A total of 82 third- and fourth-year nursing students completed the survey. Univariate statistical analyses were performed to explore the distribution of data. Chi-square tests were utilised to examine the relation between knowledge, attitudes and application of EBP with the year of study. RESULTS: Most students reported being knowledgeable of the steps of EBP, with a range of 84% – 92%. However, 50% reported negative attitudes and only 12% reported daily searches for evidence. The main reported barriers to the application of EBP were lack of knowledge, lack of time and lack of examples or role models. CONCLUSION: Knowledge about EBP does not necessarily positively influence student attitudes. Evidence-based practice should be integrated into the theoretical and practical component of the nursing curriculum to promote the effective application of EBP by nursing students.