Purpose. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is recognized by the healthcare community as the gold standard for the provision of safe and compassionate healthcare. The aim was to describe nurses' knowledge, behaviours and attitudes regarding EBP. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional approach was conducted during specialty state examinations in Poland in 2014 in a sample of 548 nurses. The self-completed reliable and valid evidence-based practice profile questionnaire (Australia) was used. Statistical analysis included Cronbach's α coefficient, analysis of variance, the Guttman split-half method and calculations in Statistica version 12. Results. Although the participants' beliefs about the benefits of EBP were high, their knowledge was relatively low. Statistically significant correlations were found between barriers and practice, knowledge and attitudes in relation to the level of nurses' education (p < 0.001 to p < 0.05). Total Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.970. Conclusions. Study findings highlight the importance of further supplementation of knowledge about EBP. The difficulties in using EBP in clinical practice are objective and require changes in the Polish system of nursing care. Additionally, life-long updating knowledge in the area of EBP by participation in various forms of postgraduate education can produce improvements in the knowledge, behaviours and attitudes of nurses in creating a positive EBP profile.
Keywords: evidence-based medicine; patient safety; evidence-based nursing; nursing care; research; validation studies as topic.