This is the second case examining the results of a survey that assesses the state of evidence-based practice (EBP) at a 450-bed hospital that is pursuing magnet designation. Hospitals are recognized with magnet designation after successfully completing a rigorous process to demonstrate nursing excellence. Evidence-based practice is one component of nursing excellence and integrates nursing research, a nurse’s clinical experience and skill, and patient values when providing patient care. Magnet hospitals benefit from improved patient outcomes and the ability to attract and retain high quality nursing staff.

To assess the nursing culture and the extent to which EBP is integrated into its culture, the Nursing Research and Evidence-based Practice Council sponsored a survey (Gale and Schaffer, 2009) which was offered to all of the hospital’s registered nurses. Registered nurses fall into one of two categories, nurse leaders and nurse professionals. Nurse leaders include nurse managers, associate nurse managers, and nurse educators/quality specialists and are primarily responsible for supervision and education. Registered nurses, whose main responsibilities are to deliver direct patient care, are referred to as nurse professionals.

In the first case in this series, we prepared the data and analyzed one of the survey questions to provide an overall assessment of the nurses' opinions of EBP as implemented at the hospital. The important findings from that case were that the proportion of nurses that viewed EBP favorably is 0.33. A 95% confidence interval for the proportion is [0.27, 0.40] and accounts for the uncertainty associated with estimating the sample proportion.

In this case we will gain a deeper understanding of the nurses’ perception of the implementation of EBP in their units. We will analyze their perceptions of EBP as related to both the workflow in their units and their practice setting. Examples of practice settings include emergency departments, operating rooms, or intensive care units. In addition, we will compare perceptions based on organization level (nurse leaders or nurse professionals).