Attitudes and barriers to evidence-based practice: point of view of Portuguese nurses specialized in medical-surgical nursing.

Aim: To identify attitudes and barriers to evidence-based practice from the perspective of Portuguese nurses specialized in medical-surgical nursing. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods: Data collection in 2022, via a digital form comprising a questionnaire on socio-professional characterization and the Portuguese version of the “Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice in Primary Care”. Non-probability convenience sampling. Data analysis performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 24. The checklist used was “Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology”. Results: The final sample consisted of 218 specialist medical-surgical nurses working in clinical practice settings in Portugal, who showed a generally positive attitude towards evidence-based practice. The barriers to evidence-based practice highlighted were lack of incentives, support from expert colleagues, training, financing, and time. Conclusion: Specialist medical-surgical nurses value evidence-based practice and recognized its benefits, but also identified barriers that make its practical implementation a challenge. The identification of the attitudes and barriers allows for the identification of shortcomings and the making of tailored training plans, thereby increasing the integration of evidence into the practice of these renowned professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]