Objective  To evaluate clinical application effects of evidence-based practice for proper limb positioning management in stroke patients with hemiplegia.

Methods  An evidence-based practice was conducted following the "evidence-based continuous quality improvement model" research framework, which included four stages: evidence acquisition, current situation review, evidence introduction, and effect evaluation. Convenience sampling was used to select 39 nurses and 86 stroke patients with hemiplegia from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University as research subjects. Among them, 43 patients from July to August 2023 did not undergo evidence-based practice, and 43 patients from December 2023 to January 2024 received evidence-based practice. The implementation rates of review indicators, nurses′ knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) scores for proper limb positioning management, and patients′ activities of daily living index, motor function, and proper limb positioning qualification rates were compared before and after evidence-based practice.

Results  A total of 24 pieces of best evidence were finally included in this study, and 28 quality review indicators were formulated. After evidence-based practice, nurses′ KAP scores for proper limb positioning management increased from (119.95±17.61) to (148.87±8.46). The patients Barthel index score significantly improved from (71.51±9.36) before evidence-based practice to (81.28±7.87) after evidence-based practice (P < 0.05). The patients′ motor function scores were (77.21±7.79) before evidence-based practice and (84.14±6.11) after evidence-based practice, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). The proper limb positioning qualification rate was 95.35%(41/43) after evidence-based practice, which was higher than 81.39%(35/43) before evidence-based practice, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05).

Conclusion  Evidence-based practice for proper limb positioning management in stroke patients with hemiplegia based on evidence-based evidence can effectively improve nurses′ implementation rates of review indicators, enhance their KAP levels for proper limb positioning management, and improve patients′ clinical outcomes.