Should Registered Nurses Be Knowledge Brokers?

32^nd Euro Nursing and Medicare Summit

October 26-28, 2017 | Paris, France

Cristina Catallo

Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Registered nurses with graduate preparation are in a unique position to act as knowledge brokers owing to their extensive clinical experience and ability to be seen as a credible and respected resource by their peers. Nurse knowledge brokers can bridge the gap between research producers and those that need evidence for decision-making and support capacity development for evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). Knowledge broker competencies include graduate-level education with exposure to research methods; experience with the EIDM process; and established networking skills to bring researchers, decision-makers, stakeholders and policymakers together. For the knowledge broker to be successful, the nurse leader/manager can cultivate an organizational culture supportive of evidence use with advocacy for mandates that require evidence for decisions, structures in place for each stage of the EIDM process, and physical resources such as library services for evidence retrieval.