1 Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 2019; 1–8. © 2019 Sigma Theta Tau International Original Article Nursing Managers’ Perspectives on the Facilitators and Barriers to Implementation of Evidence-Based Management Edris Hasanpoor, PhD ● Yibeltal Siraneh Belete, MPH/HSM, PhD Fellow ● Ali Janati, PhD ● Sakineh Hajebrahimi, MD ● Elaheh Haghgoshayie, PhD ABSTRACT Background: Evidence-based health management is defined as a new approach to improve the quality of hospital decisions by systematic application of the best available evidence. To use that, facilitators and barriers to implementation of evidence-based management (EBMgt) in the decision-making process need to be identified. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess nursing managers’ perspectives on the facilitators and barriers to implementation of EBMgt in Tabriz hospitals, northwest Iran. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used in 2017. The study was conducted in one state in Iran (Tabriz). A total of 276 nursing managers (e.g., matrons, supervisors, & head nurses [HNs]) were invited to participate from the Tabriz hospitals (N = 20); 212 completed and re- turned the survey, yielding a response rate of 76.81%. The EBMgt assessment questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire consists of two parts. The first part includes barri- ers to EBMgt (five main domains and 46 questions). The second part includes the facilitators of EBMgt (five main domains and 42 questions). Data entry and analysis were carried out using SPSS-21 software. Results: Highest mean scores of barriers were observed for “training and research systems” (64.65 ± 12.42). “Lack of communication between knowledge producers and hospital decision- makers” (68.19 ± 17.32) had highest mean scores among all 46 barriers. Also, the results showed that mean scores for all the barriers were higher than 55. The highest mean scores were ob- served for “social/interpersonal factors” (65.84 ± 17.07). “Interest and willingness to scientific management principles” (68.62 ± 20.17) had highest mean scores among all 42 facilitators. Linking Evidence to Action: The aim of EBMgt is to provide the most effective healthcare outcomes. Identifying barriers and facilitators is essential for implementing EBMgt in hospitals. Building the facilitators and eliminating barriers are foundation of EBMgt. Filling the gap be- tween knowledge producers and nursing managers can be a starting point for improvement of the decision-making process in nursing care. BACKGROUND Evidence-based management (EBMgt) has been expanded as a new management model for improving the quality of healthcare organizations’ decisions (Janati, Hasanpoor, Hajebrahimi, & Sadeghi-Bazargani, 2017; Melnyk et al., 2004). The idea for EBMgt is derived from evidence-based medicine (EBMed) that argues for the use of scientifically proven findings to guide practices in medicine and now nursing. EBMgt is an approach that emphasizes finding and using the best current evidence to make healthcare decisions (Hussein & Hussein, 2013; Janati, Hasanpoor, Hajebrahimi, & Sadeghi-Bazargani, 2018; Janati, Hasanpoor, Hajebrahimi, Sadeghi-Bazargani, & Khezri, 2018; Olade, 2004; Yurumezoglu & Kocaman, 2013). EBMgt is about making decisions through the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of the best available evidence from multiple sources by six steps of decision-making process that in- cludes asking, acquiring, appraising, aggregating, apply- ing, and assessing A decision requires some formulation of information, be it from managers expertise, local context, stakeholder preferences, or external evidence (Hasanpoor, Bahadori, Yaghoubi, Haghgoshayie, & Mahboub-Ahari, 2018; Hasanpoor, Janati, Arab-Zozani, & Haghgoshayie, 2018). Additionally, nursing managers are one of the most im- portant health professional groups in order to implement and overcome the barrier to EBMgt (Bahtsevani, Khalaf, & Willman, 2005). The shifting healthcare perspective over Key words evidence-based nursing, evidence- based management, nursing managers’ perspective, barriers, facilitators