The study aimed to (1) explore nursing staff attitudes towards evidence-based practice in conjunction with implementation of Steps Towards Recovery, and (2) describe nurses' and nurse managers' experiences of working with Steps Towards Recovery, as an example of evidence-based practice.

The study was carried out in two parts. Part 1 incorporated quantitative questionnaire data using descriptive, non-parametric statistical analyses. Part 2 incorporated qualitative data, from both individual and focus group interviews, using qualitative content analysis and focus group data analysis.

In part 1, positive attitudes were reported. Openness to evidence-based practice was significantly higher after implementation. In part 2, the nursing programme was found to be seen as an important contribution to nursing in psychiatric in-patient care. Evidence-based practice was seen as important but insufficiently used.

Integrating results from nursing research into daily nursing work is described as challenging in psychiatric in-patient care. There is a need to illuminate the gap between theory and practice to achieve evidence-based nursing. Nurses' professional role and responsibility for the development and improvement of nursing are crucial in doing so and must be addressed in nursing education, by nurses themselves, as well as by managers at all levels of health care.