Analysis of the question that seeks to assess the opinion of the current state of EBP shows that only 33% of the nurses viewed EBP favorably. A 95% confidence interval of [0.27, 0.40] is a range of plausible values for the true proportion favoring EBP and accounts for the uncertainty associated with estimating the sample proportion.

The survey represents the opinions of a minority of the nurses at the hospital since the response rate was 30%. This survey was voluntary and as such the data constitute a non-random sample. Random sampling is an assumption that underlies the confidence interval method. Surveys such as this are subject to self-selection bias. Nurses who chose to respond to the survey may have been more interested in EBP or hold stronger opinions about the success of EBP to date. This means that the results may not be representative of the population of registered nurses. Conclusions drawn must be tempered by the 30% response rate, non-random sampling and the potential self-selection bias.

The confidence interval gives the Nursing Research and Evidence-based Practice Council an initial understanding of the perception of EBP among the registered nurses. Such a preliminary assessment can help them begin to consider ways in which the perception of EBP can be improved. This may include developing training and mentoring programs or revising work practices. Analysis of the other survey questions will provide a more complete understanding of the nurses’ opinion of the EBP implementation. As a next step, it would be important to understand if the perception of EBP differs based on demographic factors such as a nurse’s organizational level or educational level. As the survey analysis progresses, missing data pattern analysis should be conducted to gain insight into survey nonresponse.