Ederlie Martinez

Background . The phenomenon of theory‐practice gap has endured within the field of nursing from the era of Florence Nightingale until today, persistently manifesting negative consequences within the profession by accentuating the dichotomy between theoretical understanding and the practical dimensions of nursing. This prevalent issue necessitates comprehensive examination to unveil all the circumstances and variables that fuel the gap, along with exploring viable resolutions to bridge these divides. Objective . To identify, summarize, and synthesize literature on the causes leading to theory‐practice gaps and solutions in nursing profession. Methods . MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EMCARE, ERIC, and Ovid were searched from 2012 to December 2022. Eligible reviews addressed causes of the theory to practice gap in nursing. Extracted data from included reviews were synthesized using guidelines for meta‐synthesis along with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for qualitative research. Result . The analysis of studies yielded 22 significant findings, subsequently categorized into six thematic areas based on their contextual similarity. Following this, a meta‐aggregation process combined these categories, generating two synthesized findings: (1) barriers for the gap and (2) facilitators for the gap. Barriers for the gap had three subcategories: “clinical life challenges,” “misconception of clinical nursing,” and “lack of collaboration between universities and clinical settings.” The second synthesis was “Facilitators for the gap” which had two subcategories: “create clinically culture‐based content” and “develop clinically based curriculum.” Conclusion . This review provides a comprehensive summary of the current understanding of barriers and facilitators influencing the theory‐practice gap in the field of nursing. To effectively reduce this gap in nursing care, stakeholders such as regulatory bodies, healthcare professionals, and academic institutions must take into account various contextual factors while recognizing the ever‐evolving nature of the healthcare environment.

Background: Successful implementation of evidence-based research into clinical practice was determined by four core elements, self-belief, the nature and level of evidence, the conductive context into which the study is to be implemented, and organizational factors facilitating the process. Aim: The current study aimed to examine barriers influencing evidence-based practice among critical care nurses in QATAR. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was utilized for the study resulting in data collected from 278 nurses during the period of Feb-2021 to March 2021 using the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale (BTRUS). The BTRUS consisted of data on various information sources utilized by nurses for support in practice, potential barriers for evidence-based practice, and perceived skills on applying research-based evidence. Result: The most significant organizational barriers were lack of time, lack of empowerment to change practice, lack of support from colleagues in implementing research evidence, and lack of access to research articles. Self-perceived barriers were irrelevance of research evidence to current practice, studies having methodological flaws, skepticism about research findings, a large amount of research evidence, and inability to understand statistics. The Nurse’s age, years of nursing practice, academic attainment, and organizational position influenced self-reported barriers and utilization of sources of Evidence. Conclusion: Organizational support, improved self-belief, and evidence-based practice expertise may reduce barriers to implementing research evidence in clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND: The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly diminished worldwide, but post-COVID-19 psychological experiences are rarely documented. Understanding the individual psychological needs and challenges of working during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as resilience and psychological health in continuing work in its aftermath, is essential. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to explore the nurses’ perspectives on psychological resilience and confidence following the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A descriptive phenomenological design and purposive sampling approach was employed. Registered nurses working at the largest health organization in Qatar, which includes 14 health facilities, were invited to participate in this study. Seventeen nurses who were working in the facilities and were deployed during the first, second, and third waves of COVID-19 participated in the interviews. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews and analyzed using the inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The psychological transformation of participants was summarized into three themes: Fear zone, learning zone, and growth zone. These themes were classified into 13 sub-themes. Fear and anxiety, influence of media and news, safety concerns, and frequent changes in policies and guidelines were the factors in the fear zone. Coping mechanisms, teamwork, establishing compassionate care, and social acceptance, helped them learn psychologically in the learning zone. Growth factors such as personal and professional benefits, confidence and resilience, a sense of satisfaction, and changed life perceptions were identified in the growth zone. CONCLUSION: Working during COVID-19 imposed many challenges on nurses, such as increased workload and stress. However, the different waves of the pandemic have contributed to increased resilience, confidence, and a deeper sense of life meaning in nurses. Their experiences in handling difficult situations during the pandemic have made them more confident in dealing with stressful situations and working under pressure.

The current study aimed to examine barriers influencing evidence-based Practice among critical care nurses in Qatar. The Barriers to Research Utilization Scale(BTRUS) was used to collect data from 278 nurses from February to March 2021 via a cross-sectional survey . The BTRUS included information on different information sources used by nurses for practise support, potential impediments to evidence-based practise, and perceived competencies in applying research-based evidence. Lack of time, lack of empowerment to modify Practice, lack of support from colleagues in integrating research evidence, and lack of access to research papers were the most important organisational impediments. The relevance of research data to present practise, studies with methodological faults, scepticism about research conclusions, a significant amount of research evidence, and inability to understand statistics were all identified as self-perceived impediments. Self-reported barriers and use of evidence sources were influenced by the Nurse's age, years of nursing practise, academic attainment, and organisational position. Organizational support, improved self-belief, and evidence-based practice expertise may reduce barriers to implementing research evidence in clinical Practice. Nursing administrators and educators have the leading role in facilitating evidence-based practice implementation among nurses. Therefore, training and education are essential to enhance the knowledge and skills of nurses to use evidence-based Practice. Time management, providing the required resources, and adequate supervision can facilitate the implementation of evidence-based Practice, which positively influences the quality of care.