Application of a Q Method Study to Understanding Nurses' Perspective of Adopting Evidence-Based Nursing

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study applied the Q method to identify and describe the various types of nurse perceptions that are crucially associated with their engagement in evidence-based nursing (EBN). METHODS: The study participants were nurses at a medical center and a regional teaching hospital. A series of Q sorts was performed by nurses to subjectively rank the Q statements. Q statements were constructed based on the literature related to EBN adoption by nurses and face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: A total of 60 participants were invited to rank 44 Q statements related to EBN. Factor analysis was conducted on the rankings of the Q statements. The following are the five prominent shared perspectives (1) emphasized the obstacles to evidence searching and reading ability; (2) emphasized the organizational promotive strategies; (3) emphasized the available supportive resources; (4) emphasized the significance of EBN; and (5) emphasized the evidence-searching ability and external incentives. The five identified groups of perspectives can enhance hospital administrators to acknowledge the barriers and incentives associated with EBN practices. CONCLUSION: The exploration of clustering nurses' perceptions may facilitate the development of customized strategies to enable more appropriate training.