Objective To explore the characteristics of articles related to Evidence-based Nursing (EBN) and to identify the problems and difficulties encountered by clinical nurses when they were engaged in evidence-based practice in China.Methods We searched for articles published in 6 nursing journals in China from 2000 to early 2006, and classified, investigated and analyzed the retrieved articles. Results Research on EBN has been changing from explaining theories and methods to applying research results in nursing practice. Among articles on clinical application, 90.9% did not describe the methods and search strategy used; 63.6% did not specify the sources of the evidence applied in practice; 93.9% did not describe the methodological quality of the evidence; only 6.1% used the results of systematic reviews or randomized trials to guide clinical practice; and 72.7% did not use effective evaluation methods to identify the nursing outcomes after applying evidences in clinical practice. Conclusions The quality of EBN related articles needs to improve further. Nurses should learn more about the knowledge and skills associated with EBN so as to improve the quality of nursing practice and of academic articles on EBN
Objective To construct a framework and relevant evaluation items for evaluating the core competence of clinical nursing teachers. Methods We explored the whole frame of competence structure and established behavior items for evaluating competences with corresponding level-marking standards through theory analysis, literature study, expert consultation and a small sample test. We also investigated 237 nursing managers, teachers, and students from six medical schools in China using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Item analysis and factor analysis were performed to reveal competence construction and connotation, and the evaluation model for core competence of clinical nursing teachers were constructed. Results Content, structure and internal consistency coefficient were checked for validity. Cronbach＇s alpha of the total system was 0. 9109 and of each domain ranged from 0. 6064 to 0. 8474. Results of Split-half Reliability demonstrated that of total system was 0. 8765 and of each domain ranged from 0. 634 2 to 0. 8369. Conclusions The evaluation model for core competence of clinical nursing teachers is composed of three parts： competence domains, behavior items and their corresponding grade standards. Core competence of clinical nursing teachers consist of four domains：leadership ability, problem-solving ability, teaching ability and nursing ability, each of which contains several behavior items and corresponding four grades standards reflecting different abilities.