[Nursing practice settings and competence to incorporate evidence into decisions: analysis of the situation in the Balearic Islands (Spain)]

Objectives: To determine the factors that nursing professionals perceive as facilitating evidence-based clinical practice (EBCP) in the Balearic Islands Health Service (Spain) by identifying possible differences according to nurses' characteristics and their occupational settings.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study of 3,129 staff nurses in the Balearic Islands Health Service in 2009, who were surveyed using the Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (EBPQ) and the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI). The strategy for the analysis encompassed an exploratory analysis, bivariate analysis with parametric and non-parametric tests according to the nature of the distributions (correlation, ANOVA, Kruskall-Wallis, chi square) and multivariate analysis of the main study variables and factors on the PES-NWI and EBPQ questionnaires. The analyses had a confidence level of 95%.

Results: A total of 1,753 questionnaires were received, corresponding to a participation rate of 56.02%. The results established significant differences between the two questionnaires in the analysis of the hospital setting and primary care (p<0.001). These differences remained significant when the questionnaires were compared according to professional category and experience.

Conclusions: This study compared nursing practice environments with different characteristics. Of the factors included in the questionnaires, that with the greatest influence on EBP was the support of nursing managers. This study also found that the two validated instruments are plausible tools for assessing EBCP and help to establish areas for improvement both at the individual and organizational level.