ABSTRACT
Background: Evidence Based Practice is considered a complex process with many factors hindering its implementation. The use of focus groups to detect barriers to its application can provide an in-depth investigation of the phenomenon. Objective: The investigation of nurses' views regarding the obstacles connected to the implementation of Evidence Based Practice. Methods: This is a qualitative study carried out using focus groups and constitutes the continuation of a quantitative study. Deliberate sampling was used to recruit a total of 31 nurses. Results: The main categories that emerged regarding the obstacles in the implementation of Evidence Based Practice in nursing, concerned the lack of logistical support, the difficulty of accessing data, the insufficient knowledge of nurses as well as their attitude, the nature of the work, the decision-making process and the impossibility of safeguarding decisions made. Conclusion: In this study, various factors were identified that affect the application of Evidence Based Practice, in the nursing environment of Cyprus. Identifying these factors can be the basis for discussions and finding ways to resolve the problems that exist by health care managers.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Even though Evidence-Based Practice is a complex process, it's application has been recognized worldwide as a lever of improvement of the provided health services. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the factors which influence the implementation of Evidence-Based Practice and their correlation with nurses' socio-demographic characteristics. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study for which data were collected through an anonymous questionnaire. The study sample included 302 nurses from six public hospitals in Cyprus. Data collection was conducted from April 2018 to July 2018. RESULTS: According to the nurses, the biggest obstacle for the application of Evidence-Based Practice is the lack of authority/power to change care procedures (83.8%), followed by the view that the results were not applicable in the nurses' environment (81.5%). CONCLUSION: The identification of factors affecting the implementation of Evidence-Based Practice can serve as a basis for improving the quality of healthcare, as well as for developing strategies for resolving existing problems. This study showed that there is a need to create opportunities for the use of Evidence-Based Practice by nurses.
ABSTRACT
AIM: To record the types of conflict management that health professionals in Cyprus hospitals encounter in their daily work and to explore the conflicts, their parameters and causes, and the role ambiguity faced by the hospital employees. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a descriptive study in which data were collected with an anonymous self-referral questionnaire. The study population consisted of 300 health professionals from six different hospitals in Cyprus. Data are presented with averages and standard deviations. RESULTS: The health professionals identified the following causes of conflicts in the workplace in descending order: heavy workload, low pay, and varying instructions from different leaders. To deal with the conflict, 73.2% of the participants reported using avoidance, 54.2% engaged in negotiation for mutual benefit, and 40.5% cited compromise as a method. CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the way in which conflicts are managed contributes to the smooth functioning of organisations, and it improves the effectiveness of the services provided. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: It is generally known that the high levels of conflict in hospitals are associated with increased mistakes and low employee satisfaction and performance levels. Managers deal with conflict-management issues within organisations on a daily basis. It is therefore essential to comprehend the reasons behind conflicts and provide suitable training for the development of communication skills and conflict-management strategies.
