Barriers that may be preventing nursing practice from achieving this   goal is education and attitudes regarding evidence-based practice   (EBP).  A national survey of nurses found that many healthcare   organizations reported that EBP was consistently used in their   organization, but only about a third said their colleagues   consistently used these practices.  In addition, nurses with more   education tended to have more confidence in implementing   evidence-based practice.  However, the longer nurses had been   working in healthcare, the less interested they were in learning more   about evidence-based practice.  The average age of nurses is 47,   and these nurses were educated at a time when evidence-based practice   was not well integrated into educational programs.  As a result,   many nurses are practicing the way they were taught while new   graduates who have learned to take an evidence-based approach to care   are meeting these nurses in real-world settings where they encounter   this prevalence of a “this is the way we do it here”   culture (Biss, 2016).
This survey points to a lack of understanding as the root problem as   implementing EBP is the exact process that needs to be integrated in   order to achieve and sustain quality and safety in health care.    This problem likely exists among other hospital leaders, not just   nurses.  Without leadership support and engagement, it’s   nearly impossible for an organization to sustain a culture of EBP   (Biss, 2016).  In addition, many nurses surveyed were unsure of   how to measure patient outcomes which signifies a real gap in the   preparation of nurse leaders.  Nurse leaders with graduate and   doctoral degrees must master EBP and a part of that is measuring   outcomes of evidence-based practice changes.  The first step in   achieving the 2020 goal remains in nurse leaders possessing these   skills. This would lead the way so hospitals and their staff will be   capable of practicing evidence-based care in a consistent manner.