Centres of evidence-based nursing: directions and challenges

FORUM Centres of evidence-based nursing: directions and challengesDramatic changes in healthcare delivery, along with an increased emphasis on quality care and cost containment, have led to the need for reliable, up to date evidence about effective healthcare interventions on the part of clinicians, policy makers, consumers, and researchers.However, barriers to using evidence exist for all groups and include those related to the individual, organisation, environment, and the characteristics of the innovation. 1 For nurses specifically, lack of time, poor access to the literature, and lack of ability to judge the quality of the research are major barriers. 2 3To address these barriers and to facilitate evidence-based practice, several evidencebased nursing centres havebeen created worldwide.In this editorial, we willhighlight the activities of these centres and challenges they face.We sent a brief questionnaire by email to evidence-based nursing centres in Australasia (Joanna Briggs Institute JBI, which includes several sites in Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong), United States, Germany, UK, and Canada.For the JBI, we contacted the coordinating centre in Adelaide, as well as centres in New Zealand and Victoria.The Victorian Centre of Joanna Briggs is incorporated within the Victorian Centre for Nursing Practice Research.Below, we summarise the information provided by the centres.