NMs as leaders and champions of EBP. Most staff interviewed
thought that Nurse Directors and NMs should
act as leaders and champions of EBP. However, the enactment
of such a role was not always obvious: “The Director
of Nursing has a bit of a low profile, but is definitely supportive
of EBP. . . Staff may not always see that though. . .
it is part of our portfolios—that’s how she supports it,
through us” (Deputy Nurse Director, Case D).
The Nurse Directors in Cases A and B championed EBPI
to some extent and they demonstrated their commitment
by attending EBP meetings and developing EBP-specific
posts. In the other two cases, Nurse Directors were perceived
to be more remote from practice. In Cases C and
D, staff felt that EBP was not valued by the Nurse Director
and this impacted on the importance that nurses
then placed on it. In all cases nurses were readily able
to identify examples when they felt that Nurse Directors
had missed opportunities to promote EBP or provide
clear leadership, or where attempts to do so had been
ineffective.