Table 2 Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Study design

 Quantitative designs [84]: Systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster RCTs, non-randomized trials (including controlled before and after studies), cluster non-randomized trials, interrupted time series designs with a clearly defined point in time at which the intervention occurred and at least three data points before and after the intervention, and prospective cohort studies.

 Qualitative designs: All qualitative designs (e.g. descriptive, phenomenology, grounded theory). Studies needed to demonstrate that a specific qualitative methodology was followed (e.g. referencing a methodology, describing the analysis).

 Mixed methods study designs. Studies needed to adhere to the inclusion criteria for both quantitative and qualitative designs.

 Exclusion: Non-systematic reviews, cross-sectional studies, quantitative studies using post-test only, case reports, discussion papers, and editorials.

Setting

 Inclusion: Tertiary care.

 Exclusion: Studies conducted exclusively in primary care, long-term care, outpatient clinics, or community settings.

Participants

 Inclusion: Nurses; registered nurses (RNs), APNs [e.g., clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), nurse practitioners (NPs)], licensed practical nurses (LPNs) or registered practical nurses (RPNs), and student nurses. When the implementation of the intervention involved nurses as part of a group of healthcare professionals and the study met all other inclusion criteria, the citation was included for client outcomes.

 Exclusion: Studies in which the intervention was implemented solely among nurses functioning as LPNs, RPNs, or student nurses due to fundamental differences in training, education, and scope of practice. When the implementation of the intervention involved nurses as part of a group of healthcare professionals and the outcomes were group knowledge, skills, and behaviours and effects for nurses could not be isolated.

Interventions

 Inclusion: Any KT intervention directed towards target participants and aimed at promoting nurses’ EIDM knowledge, skills, or behaviours, or affecting client outcomes. A list of KT interventions was compiled from similar systematic reviews conducted by the EPOC review group and the UK Health Technology Assessment Programme [6, 8, 71, 84, 101] (e.g. audit and feedback; educational materials, meetings, outreach visits; mass media; reminders).

 Exclusion: Implementation of a guideline, which was not developed through a review of the best available evidence and/or accompanied in its implementation by an additional KT intervention.

Outcomes

 Inclusion (quantitative): (1) EIDM knowledge, (2) EIDM skills, (3) EIDM behaviour, and (4) any client outcome. Nurses’ EIDM knowledge, skills, and behaviour were conceptualized using the Classification Rubric for Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Assessment Tools in Education framework [17].

  Knowledge: Facts and concepts about EIDM. Examples include: the ability to define the components of a clinical question, the ability to identify resources to search for the best available research evidence, or knowledge of critical appraisal concepts.

  Skills: The application of knowledge. Examples include the ability to correctly construct a clinical question, appropriately conducted a search of the evidence, or accurately appraise the quality of evidence.

  Behaviours: Behaviours reflecting the conduct of EIDM in nursing practice. Examples include identifying and constructing clinical questions, searching for the best available evidence, or critically appraise evidence.

 Inclusion (qualitative): Contextual factors influencing the implementation of the KT intervention.