Effects of Perceived Educational Support on Usage of an Internet Nursing Reference Center
Authors: Marshall Brenda L. , Sabbagh Lia 
Published: April 2015

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contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity. Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your answers to the quiz.

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1.
Read the article, “Effects of Perceived Educational Support on Usage of an Internet Nursing Reference Center,” found on pages 161–168, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz.

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Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study.

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Contact Hours
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Objective

Review the findings from a pilot study designed to identify and evaluate the implementation of a strategy to facilitate and support unit-based nurses’ utilization of an online reference center.

Disclosure Statement
Neither the planners nor the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background:
The need for evidence-based practice in nursing is well established; however, the efficacy of providing online research resources to nurses delivering care at the bedside has yet to undergo empirical testing. This study evaluated the impact of minimal educational support by a nurse researcher on nurses’ usage of a hospital-based online nursing reference center.

Method:
This randomized, comparison group design feasibility study was conducted at a suburban medical center. Real-time RN usage of an online nursing reference center was collected over 10 months (August to May), with the comparative intervention occurring for seven of the 10 months (September to March).

Results:

Independent samples
t
tests and analysis of variance demonstrated that nurses receiving weekly or biweekly visits from an educator had significantly higher usage of the reference center.

Conclusions:
Nurses who received minimal educational support through weekly and biweekly brief, verbally supportive visits from a nurse researcher were significantly higher users of the online nurse reference center than those receiving in-services only.

J Contin Educ Nurs.
2015;46(4):161–168.