Barriers and facilitators to the utilization of evidence-based practice among nurses in federal medical center Yenagoa, Bayelsa State

Background: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) improves quality, safety, and patient outcomes, yet implementation remains inconsistent in many low- and middle-income settings.

Aim: To determine barriers and facilitators to EBP utilization among nurses in Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and to assess nurses’ current knowledge and practice-related competencies.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. Stratified random sampling (by ward/unit) was applied to select registered nurses from a population of 581. Sample size was determined using taro-Yamene formular. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. Face, content and construct validity of the instrument were done by experts, while reliability coefficient of 0.80 was obtained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Questionnaires distributed were 230 and same were retrieved and analyzed. and analyzed using frequencies and percentages.

Results: Respondents demonstrated high awareness and self-reported knowledge of EBP: 54.78% strongly agreed they were familiar with EBP and 56.08% strongly agreed they could search for relevant evidence. Key facilitators were management support (82.17% strongly agreed) and availability of EBP mentors/champions (82.61% strongly agreed). Major barriers were lack of time (86.52% strongly agreed) and limited access to databases (85.65% strongly agreed).

Conclusion: Although nurses reported good EBP knowledge and strong endorsement of facilitators, major organizational and capacity constraints especially time, access to evidence resources, and research-method skills persist. Strengthening mentorship, protected time, internet/database access, and structured capacity-building is recommended.