The Royal College of Nursing's information needs survey of nurses and health professionals.

Aims: To find out about the nursing community's needs in the following areas: information or knowledge to improve practice in the clinical area; information to support lifelong learning and formal study.

Methods: A questionnaire was circulated in summer 2004 containing questions on types of information source used for particular types of problem or question; specific sources used; ease of access to various information sources including computers and the Internet, and local health library; and workplace culture and environment.

Results: A total of 1715 usable questionnaires were completed and returned.

Barriers to accessing evidence-based information.

This review of the literature found that perceived lack of time is the main barrier to evidence-based practice for nurses. A lack of information technology skills and access affects nurses' use of research evidence. Nurses tend to base the selection of information sources on convenience and accessibility rather than quality.