Implementing Evidence-Based Nursing: Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation

This study aims to find out whether a leadership and organizational development program called the LOCI (Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation) strategy can help nurses and their managers use the best available research in everyday care. Using evidence-based practice.

Previous work in the region showed that nurses and their managers want to use evidence-based practices but face challenges, such as unclear processes, limited support, and differences in skills. The LOCI strategy has helped leaders in other countries improve how new practices are introduced and supported. This study will test a version of LOCI adapted for Finnish healthcare settings.

Nurse managers and staff from selected hospital and elder care units will:

Take part in leadership and training sessions. Receive individual and group mentoring. Work with their teams on plans that support introducing new, research-based ways of working.

Two evidence-based practices will be introduced:

In psychiatric units: A safety planning method to help prevent suicide among people receiving mental health care.

In elder care units: Better ways to identify and treat malnutrition among older adults.

The study involves:

Nurse managers Nursing staff Senior nurse leaders Specialist nurses who support the training

The study will run for one year. The LOCI program lasts nine months, followed by a three-month follow-up period.

Assessment:

How well the adapted LOCI strategy works in practice (for example, whether participants find it useful).

Whether leadership skills and workplace support for evidence-based practices improve.

Whether the new care practices (suicide safety planning and malnutrition prevention) are used more often and more effectively.

Participants will complete questionnaires, take part in interviews or group discussions, and researchers will review documentation and care records to understand how the changes progress.

The study may help improve leadership skills, strengthen support for evidence-based practice, and improve care for patients in both mental health and elder care settings. The results may also help other healthcare organizations adopt similar approaches.

The study follows strict ethical and data protection rules. Survey participation is voluntary, and all personal information will be handled securely and confidentially. The care practices being introduced are already recommended in Finland and are part of normal care.