KNOWLEDGE, SOURCES, PERCEPTIONS, BARRIERS, AND FACILITATORS OF EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES UTILIZATION AMONG EMERGENCY NURSES IN THE NORTHERN WEST BANK, PALESTINE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: The concept of evidence-based practice is considered as one of the most crucial factors in helping to enhance decision-making within the medical field, which can lead to enhancing the quality of health care provided. Evidence-based practice provides safety and effectiveness of care that is centered on patients through combining research findings with expertise and values of patients. Many people have accepted the idea of evidence-based practice; however, implementing this concept in practice is still hard, especially when it comes to emergency nurses working under pressure. In Palestine, implementation of evidence-based practice is even more complicated due to political and organizational problems, and shortage of resources. Aim: This study aimed to assess knowledge, sources, perception, barriers, and facilitators of EBP utilization among emergency nurses in northern West Bank, Palestine. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study that involved 120 emergency nurses from Northern West Bank private and governmental hospitals who were chosen using a convenience sampling technique. Using a validated 67-item questionnaire, data were gathered between April to May 2026. There are sections on demographics, knowledge, perceptions, obstacles, and enablers of evidence-based practice in the questionnaire. With SPSS software, statistical analysis was carried out, including analytical and descriptive statistics. Results : From 120 nurses involved in our study, with a mean age of 34.47 ± 7.02 years. The mean score of EBP knowledge was 6.34 ± 2.04 (out of 10), while perception was 37.17 ± 2.17 (out of 50). The most frequent sources of EBP were personal experience, hospital protocols, colleagues, and internet resources. The main barriers to the use of EBP were insufficient time, heavy workload, insufficient resources, and limited English proficiency, while the main facilitators were continuous professional development programs, access to updated clinical guidelines, adequate training, and reliable internet access. There were significant differences in the level of EBP knowledge by education level (p = .043) and work experience (p = .013), but not by gender, marital status, and income. There was also a significant weak correlation between age and knowledge of EBP (rs = .242, p < .01). Conclusion: The findings indicate that the successful integration of evidence-based practice in nursing requires a system approach and involves building skills of nurses as well as improving the clinical environment. Although it seems that nurses are receptive to evidence-based practice, the success of its application depends on its integration into practice through the provision of evidence, availability of time, continuing education, up-to-date guidelines, and leadership. It should be added that the process of capacity building requires consideration of nurses’ educational and professional background.