(^28) Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice: Model and Guidelines, Third Edition
Senge (1990) described team learning—the interaction of a team to produce
learning and solve problems—as an essential component of learning organiza-
tions in which leaders continuously develop capacity for the future. Building
capacity for nurses to carry out EBP projects is of strategic importance for nurse
leaders; ensuring that nurses have the knowledge and skills required to procure
and judge the value of evidence is a top leadership priority.
One way to achieve the successful cultural transition to EBP is to apply the no-
tion of interactive team learning (Sams, Penn, & Facteau, 2004). As members of
the EBP team gain experience reviewing and critiquing both research and non-
research evidence related to a clinical question, their motivation to integrate evi-
dence into practice will increase. Thus, nurses need to have a sound knowledge
base regarding the nature of research and nonresearch evidence.
Nurse leaders can best support EBP by providing clinicians with the time, knowl-
edge, and skills necessary to pose answerable questions, to seek and appraise
scientific and other quantitative and qualitative evidence within the context of
nonresearch evidence, and to make a determination on the advisability of trans-
lating evidence into practice. Only through continuous learning and experience
can clinicians gain the confidence needed to incorporate the broad range of evi-
dence into the development of protocols and care standards and into the person-
alized care of the individual patient. Nurse educators also can advance EBP by
including related skill development as part of nursing curricula. This can provide
a larger pool from which nurse leaders can draw potential employees with a
strong educational background in EBP.
Summary
Critical thinking and EBP are inseparable from each other. To take away either
one would take away the dynamic, inner core and very life of the other. As nurses
sharpen their critical thinking skills, they can more quickly sift the true from the
false in the evidence, and the strong points from the weak; and they increase
their ability to apply the best evidence available at the time, even where areas of
uncertainty may exist. Critically thinking nurses become reflective and maintain