ROLE OF NURSING LEADERSHIP IN IMPLEMENTING EVIDENCE- BASED PRACTICES IN CLINICAL SETTINGS

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) is considered the foundation of clinical excellence and a key indicator in promoting quality, safety, and effective patient care because it integrates the best available research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences to guide healthcare decision-making. However, EBP’s successful integration and implementation in clinical settings is not only dependent on the availability of evidence but can be significantly influenced by nursing leadership styles. This study aimed to determine the role of nursing leadership in implementing EBP, focusing on leadership styles, communication, collaboration, and the challenges encountered during implementation. A descriptive research design was employed, and a purposive sampling technique was used to select the 60 participants from various hospitals who were directly involved in clinical leadership and EBP oversight. The result of the study revealed that nurse managers motivation, direct supervision, open communication and staff encouragement are the reasons behind the successful integration and implementation of EBP in their assigned clinical area highly suggesting that leadership style and leaders’ behavior greatly influence EBP implementation and that specific leadership behaviors particularly those aligned with transformational styles exert a profound influence on implementation success Nurses acknowledged the relevance of EBP despite of the major challenges such as adherence to traditional practices, workload constraints, limited confidence in research appraisal, and information were identified and experienced during the implementation process. Nevertheless, weaknesses and gaps were identified between participatory communication and collaborative practices, with limited open dialogue, insufficient recognition of staff contributions, and weak trust-building mechanisms strongly suggesting that EBP implementation is often driven by compliance rather than being fully collaborative and sustainable.