Introduction

As one of the key members of the health care team in the Department of Health (DH), the Public Health Nuring Division (PHND) has a major share of DH's commitment to providing quality client-oriented services to the public. Following the world trend in promoting evidence-based nursing (EBN) practice as the key to achieving quality care, the PHND has strived to advocate for the development of such practice. It is through EBN that nurses are empowered to make client care decisions based on the best available research evidence in addition to their professional judgement and individual client's needs. Hence, EBN is instrumental to nurses' pursuance of excellence in providing client-oriented care in the context of available resources.

Since 2001, the PHND has set up a Nursing Research Group (now named as the Quality Assurance Team), comprising Registered Nurses, Nursing Officers and Senior Nursing Officers from the different services of the DH, who have the knowledge, skills and experience in conducting nursing research and strong commitment to promote evidence-based quality nursing service. 

The main objectives of the Quality Assurance Team are to evaluate the process and outcome of nursing practice; the effectiveness of the adoption of new skills and knowledge as well as the implementation of care based on research results or innovations in public health nursing practice. It also strives to publish and disseminate research results to inform current and future practice.

The EBN section of the PDQA website is destined to provide a platform for public health nurses to share with other nursing colleagues and health care team members their various research studies, as well as to facilitate the exchange of experience and updating of information conducive to the advancement of professional nursing practice.