NURSING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE TOWARD EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE (EBP) AT COLLEGE OF NURSING, AFPGMI RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN

Background Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is at the core of contemporary nursing and it combines clinical practice, patient values, and the most effective research evidence. The perception and attitude of nursing students to EBP is very important to understand to design the curricula that can support the development of evidenced-based decision-making in the future clinical practice. Objective To determine the perception of the nursing students and their attitude towards EBP and determine the factors that affect their involvement with EBP in College of Nursing, AFPGMI Rawalpindi. Method The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study done on 306 nursing students taking the BSc Nursing program. The Evidence-Based Practice Perception and Attitude Questionnaire (EBP-PAQ) was used to collect the data. Cronbach alpha was used to measure reliability. The SPSS v26 was used to analyze the descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and regression. Results The average perception score was 74.5 ± 10.2 (range 50-95) meaning moderate knowledge about the principles of EBP. The average attitude score was 79.3 ± 9.8 and had an average attitude that was more positive towards EBP. Academic year and EBP perception (r = 0.42, p < 0.001) and perception and attitude scores (r = 0.61, p < 0.001) were significantly positively correlated. The identified barriers were the inability to find journals, insufficient research experience, and time. Conclusion The AFPGMI Rawalpindi nursing students have positive attitudes towards EBP, moderate levels of perception, and require organized training in EBP. It is also suggested that EBP modules, workshops, and clinical mentorship should be integrated to increase the knowledge and use of the evidence-based decision-making by the students.