Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in Undergraduate Nursing: A Critical Narrative Review of Conceptual, Pedagogical and Research Tensions

Background: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is widely recognised as a core competency in nursing education, yet uncertainty remains regarding how it should be integrated into undergraduate curricula to support sustained competence and implementation in clinical practice. Methods: A critical narrative review was conducted, searching CINAHL and MEDLINE (2–6 February 2026) for literature on EBP in undergraduate nursing education; sources were selected for conceptual relevance and synthesised interpretatively, focusing on curricular integration, pedagogical approaches, assessment strategies and educational outcomes. Results: The evidence indicates that undergraduate students generally report positive beliefs and attitudes towards EBP; however, these are frequently accompanied by limited operational competence and inconsistent application of evidence-informed behaviours. EBP is often delivered as a fragmented curricular component, commonly associated with research modules rather than embedded longitudinally across academic and clinical learning experiences. Although active, student-centred pedagogical approaches appear to enhance engagement and learning, the evidence remains limited by methodological heterogeneity, scarce comparative studies, and a lack of longitudinal evaluation. Conclusions: The principal challenge is no longer the inclusion of EBP in undergraduate nursing curricula, but its coherent curricular integration through pedagogically aligned, developmentally sequenced, and clinically transferable educational strategies. These findings provide directions for curriculum development and future research aimed at strengthening evidence-informed nursing education.