Evaluation of organizational support for use of online information resources in nursing care

Objectives While there is general agreement concerning the barriers to use online information resources in nursing decisions, there have not been any studies that demonstrate how healthcare organizations have overcome these obstacles in developing countries. The purpose of this present study was to evaluate organizational support of healthcare organizations after introducing information technology for the use of online information resources in nursing care. Methods This study was performed on nurses and nursing students in hospitals affiliated to the Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Results The findings showed that the use of online information resources was not adequately supported by healthcare social networks and the role of leadership has received minimal attention. Conclusions There appears to be little confidence in the usefulness of evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing care in Iranian society. The development of organizational norms for EBP behavior within an organization is important, and in order to monitor the development of these behaviors, the cultural competence in the healthcare institutions should be assessed and measured. However, it is far more difficult to develop a robust design, which encompasses the implementation of EBP across an entire organization. Such studies are highly complex and would need to be adapted as the organization changed, in addition, they would be likely to take considerable time to complete. Nevertheless, such studies are essential if a full understanding of organizational approaches to promoting EBP in developing countries is to occur.