EBP (evidence-based practice) is the use of clinical expertise to integrate patient conditions and situations, preferences and behaviors, and the best available research results (=evidence), and to (Haynes, R. B., 2002). Interest in EBP is growing around the world, as effective integration of research evidence into clinical practice is expected to improve patient health and satisfaction, as well as reduce healthcare costs. However, in Japan, especially in the field of nursing, the spread of EBP is slower than in other countries.
Strategic leadership by nursing managers is essential to promoting the implementation of EBP in Japanese nursing settings. Therefore, a research team from Chiba University, Tokai University, Keio University, Sapporo Medical University, International University of Health and Welfare, Konan Women's University, and the National Institute of Health and Medical Sciences, developed a research team in the United States to utilize research results in clinical settings. We developed a Japanese version of the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), which measures the leadership of nurse managers, and verified its reliability and validity.
Since there was no Japanese translation of the ILS, in this study, we first translated the original ILS and asked clinical nurses to confirm the wording of each item. In addition, we conducted a web survey of 119 nursing managers and 2,858 staff nurses at university hospitals in Japan to determine whether the Japanese version of the ILS and the original ILS were able to evaluate leadership using the same concept. As a result of verification using statistical methods, we were able to confirm the same structure in both self-evaluation by nursing managers and peer-evaluation by staff nurses.
Next, we investigated the relationship between learning/research experience and experience working on EBP, which has been shown to be related to EBP implementation in past studies, and the Japanese version of ILS scores. We observed a tendency for ILS scores to become higher, supporting previous research.
Based on the above, we will continue to conduct research using the Japanese version of ILS to elucidate the actual state of nursing managers' leadership toward EBP implementation, as well as develop and verify methods to improve leadership. It is expected that the project will contribute to the development of leaders who will promote the future.
