Table 6 Characteristics of included studies and detailed description of intervention

Dufault ^[24]

27 nurses from 4 oncology units

Both nurses and researcher s/nurses

28 weeks consisting of 6 sequential phases

Nurses and investigators participated in activities related to optimal pain management. The phases included:

1. Problem identification and assessment of research bases for utilization

2. Evaluation of research relevancy to problem selection, nursing department values, standards and policies, and potential cost and benefit

3. Innovation design to meet the needs of the problem within the scope of the research base.

4. Actual or construct replication and evaluation of the innovation.

5. Decision to adopt, alter or reject the innovation.

6. Development of means to extend the innovation within and outside of the setting.

Hong ^[25]

220 nurses surveyed/255 episodes of care observed from 3 medical and 3 surgical units

Local opinion leaders and infection control nurses/Nurses and student nurses

30 minute lecture and unspecified length demonstratio n tutorial

Infection control nurses provided lectures on research based practices surrounding catheter care. Local opinion leaders provided demonstration tutorials to group of 6–10 nurses following the lectures.

Tranme r ^[26]

235 nurses from 6 medical/surgical units

Researchers/nurses

20 hours for 'high' intervention and 8 hours for 'low' intervention

High intervention: Nurses learned how to review and critique research literature, completed a literature review on a clinical practice, participated in the design of a research study to address the identified clinical problem, and participated in the implementation of the study.

Low intervention: Nurses learned about the literature related to a clinical problem and discussed now best to implement the research study.

Tsai ^[27]

89 nurses from multiple clinical units

Clinical experts/nurses

65 hour workshops delivered over 8 weeks

Research utilization education designed and based on steps of research utilization:

1. Preparation stage

2. Confirmation stage

3. Comparison and

assessment stage

4. Decision stage

5. Implementation stage

6. Evaluation stage