Teaching evidence-based practice in undergraduate nursing education: why research must move beyond the classroom

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is positioned as a core expectation of undergraduate nursing education, yet the research used to justify curricular approaches remains uneven in quality and relevance. Current literature frequently reports improved student knowledge, skills and attitudes following EBP teaching, but there is limited evidence that these gains are sustained in practice. AIM: To offer a critical reflection on the current direction of research on teaching EBP in undergraduate nursing education and to identify priorities for a more clinically meaningful research agenda. DISCUSSION: The literature consistently suggests that structured, interactive and clinically integrated EBP teaching can improve short-term student outcomes. However, the field is dominated by single-site studies, quasi-experimental and cross-sectional designs, self-report measures and minimal follow-up beyond course completion. This creates a persistent gap between what research measures and what nurse educators, clinicians and health systems need to know, namely whether undergraduate EBP teaching produces graduates who can use evidence in routine care. Greater attention to transferring knowledge into practice is therefore required, including objective assessment, contextual influences in placement settings and longitudinal follow-up across the transition from student to registration. CONCLUSION: Research on undergraduate EBP education has established that students can learn EBP principles but has not yet demonstrated which educational models produce sustained clinical capability. The next phase of enquiry should move beyond immediate classroom outcomes towards stronger, practice-oriented designs. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Nurse educators, clinical partners and researchers should co-design studies that assess EBP capability across academic and clinical contexts, using outcome measures that reflect real-world evidence rather than self-assessment alone.