Exploring attitudes and barriers toward the use of evidence-based nursing among nursing managers in Taiwanese residential aged care facilities

This article reports findings from a qualitative study on nurse managers’ perspectives of evidence-based practice (EBP) in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) in Taiwan. Six RACFs were randomly selected for inclusion in the study. The sample consisted of the nurse manager from each facility (N = 6) who participated in an in-depth interview. Thematic qualitative content analysis was used to identify patterns of experience. The majority of managers expressed positive attitudes toward research and EBP but reported little experience in its implementation. Barriers to EBP included individual barriers such as lack of motivation and confidence to embrace change. Research-related barriers included difficulty in finding and understanding research articles, and systemic barriers included lack of funding and time, lack of authority, and workplace culture. Some implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.