Why be concerned about creating a supportive environment for
evidence-based practice (EBP)? The most obvious answer is that new
evidence is continually surfacing in nursing and medical environ-
ments. Practitioners must incorporate the tremendous increase in
the generation of new knowledge into their daily routines for their
practices to be evidence-based, yet there is a well-documented delay in
implementing new knowledge into practice environments. The Agency
for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ; Clancy & Cronin,
2005) cited 17 years as the average time from generation of new evi-
dence to implementation of that evidence into practice. Additionally,
for healthcare professionals to keep up with journals relevant to prac-
tice, every practitioner would need to read 17 articles per day, 365
days per year (Balas & Boren, 2000).
The dynamic and competitive U.S. healthcare environment requires
healthcare practitioners who are accountable to provide efficient and
effective care. This environment also mandates continuous improve-
ment in care processes and outcomes. Healthcare, provided within the