Evidence-based Practice Knowledge following Structured Education among Newly Hired Nurses in Saudi Arabia: A Quasi-experimental Study

Background: Structured education can introduce newly hired nurses to foundational evidence-based practice (EBP) concepts during orientation. The aim of the study is to compare EBP knowledge scores before and after a structured educational intervention among newly hired nurses in a Saudi tertiary hospital. Methods: An uncontrolled quasi-experimental pretest–posttest evaluation was conducted with three consecutive cohorts in February, April and June 2026. Newly hired nurses completed anonymous five-item knowledge assessments immediately before and after the educational session. The two forms addressed the same learning objectives but used different items. Because responses could not be matched, pre-intervention ( n = 115) and post-intervention ( n = 113) scores were compared as independent samples using an independent-samples t -test. Results: Mean knowledge scores increased from 4.06 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.95) before the intervention to 4.35 (SD = 0.89) after the intervention. Post-intervention scores were significantly higher, t(226) = 2.328, P = 0.021. The mean difference was 0.29 points (95% confidence interval: 0.04 to 0.53), with a small effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.31). Conclusion: Higher group-level knowledge scores were observed after structured EBP education. The findings support including foundational EBP content in nurse orientation, but the small effect and methodological limitations indicate a need for matched assessments, validated instruments and longer-term evaluation.