Nurses’ Learning Profiles Link to Research and Evidence-Based Practice Competence

In a multicenter cross-sectional survey of 486 registered nurses across five general hospitals in Anhui Province, China, latent profile analysis identified three sample-relative self-directed learning competence profiles, with more than two-thirds of participants assigned to the low or moderate categories. The investigation examined how classification into these discrete learning profiles corresponds with clinical nurses’ self-reported competence in conducting nursing research and implementing evidence-based practice.

Self-directed learning competence is considered essential for the continuing professional development of nursing personnel.

To assess participants across multiple dimensions of professional performance, the researchers collected data using a general information questionnaire alongside three standardized self-report instruments. These included the Self-Directed Learning Competence for Nurses Scale, the Nursing Research Competence Self-Rating Scale, and the Questionnaire to Evaluate the Competency in Evidence-Based Practice of Registered Nurses, designated as EBP-COQ-Prof. Statistical evaluation relied on latent profile analysis, Spearman’s rank correlation analysis, and multinomial logistic regression modeling.

Within the fitted latent profile model, the sample was categorized into three distinct groups: a low profile representing 36.6 percent of participants, a moderate profile comprising 37.0 percent, and a high profile accounting for 26.3 percent. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis demonstrated that self-directed learning competence was positively correlated with self-reported nursing research competence, with a correlation coefficient of rho = 0.469 at p < 0.001, and with evidence-based practice competence, showing rho = 0.409 at p < 0.001.

Multinomial logistic regression indicated that self-reported research and evidence-based practice scores were significant predictors of latent profile placement. Each 10-point increase in nursing research competence score was associated with higher odds of assignment to the moderate profile, with an odds ratio of 1.203 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.072 to 1.350, as well as the high profile, with an odds ratio of 1.583 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 1.373 to 1.824. Similarly, each 10-point increase in evidence-based practice competence score was associated with increased odds of membership in the moderate profile (odds ratio = 1.227, 95 percent confidence interval: 1.029 to 1.463) and the high profile (odds ratio = 1.749, 95 percent confidence interval: 1.421 to 2.153).

The regression models also evaluated organizational and professional activities, showing that participation in clinical teaching was associated with membership in both the moderate and high profiles compared to the low profile. Involvement in research was associated with membership in the moderate rather than the low profile, whereas the comparison between the high and low profiles did not reach statistical significance. The authors concluded that these sample-relative profiles help characterize variation in nurses’ learning capabilities and generate hypotheses for targeted professional development strategies that should be evaluated prospectively.

Because the investigation relied on a cross-sectional survey design, the observed relationships represent statistical associations rather than causal effects or directional changes over time.

Subject of Research: Self-directed learning profiles and professional research competencies among clinical nurses

Article Title: Self-directed learning profiles and their associations with research and evidence-based practice competence among clinical nurses: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Article References: Wang, Y., Wang, C., & Wu, Y. (2026). Self-directed learning profiles and their associations with research and evidence-based practice competence among clinical nurses: a multicenter cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-026-05579-8

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05579-8

Keywords: self-directed learning, nursing research competence, evidence-based practice, latent profile analysis, registered nurses, clinical nursing, multinomial logistic regression, cross-sectional study, continuing professional development, clinical teaching, Anhui Province, EBP-COQ-Prof, general hospitals, Spearman correlation, nurse education, health professional education, clinical competence