Best Practice Guidelines

Best practice guidelines

Best practice guidelines (BPG) are systematically developed, evidence-based documents that include recommendations for nurses and the interprofessional team, educators, leaders and policy-makers, persons and their chosen families on specific clinical and healthy work environment topics. BPGs promote consistency and excellence in clinical care, health policies and health education, ultimately leading to optimal health outcomes for people and communities and the health system.

RNAO has about 50 BPGs covering nine categories: children and youth, clinical, equity, diversity and inclusion, foundational, health system, healthy work environment, mental health and substance use, older adults, and population health. The BPGs are freely available and organized alphabetically below.

February 2017

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide evidence-based individual, organization, education, and system/policy recommendations to: 1) enhance the capacity of all individuals involved in the implementation of an eHealth solution within a health care organization; 2) establish suitable infrastructures to support eHealth education needs; and, 3) facilitate technology-enabled health system transformation. 

May 2017

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide nurses and other health-care providers with evidence-based recommendations of foundational asthma care for adults with a diagnosis of asthma.

October 2018

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to present evidence-based recommendations for nurses and the interprofessional team across all care settings to enhance the quality of their practices to support the reduced incidence of perinatal depression through the implementation of five components of care: routine screening, assessment, prevention, coordinated interventions, and evaluation.

December 2013

This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for nurses and other members of the interprofessional team who are assessing and managing people with the presence or risk of any type of pain.

March 2013

This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations on how to assess and manage people who have been diagnosed with diabetic foot ulcers. 

March 2014

The purpose of this guideline is to present evidence-based recommendations that apply to the decisions and best practices of interprofessional teams working to assess and manage existing pressure injuries in people 18 years of age and above.

Publication date
2009
This best practice guideline aims to assist nurses working in diverse practice settings provide evidence-based care to adults at risk for suicidal ideation and behaviours. Within the scope of this guideline, adults at risk may include any adult who may exhibit risk factors, with or without expressed suicidal intent. Nurses may interact with these clients in the community, long-term care...
Publication date
2004
It is the intention of this guideline to identify best nursing practices in the treatment of venous leg ulcers. The purpose of this guideline is to: improve outcomes for venous leg ulcer clients; assist practitioners to apply the best available research evidence to clinical decisions; and promote the responsible use of healthcare resources. The guideline focuses on: Practice Recommendations:...
Publication date
2004
The RNAO Best Practice Guideline Subcutaneous Administration of Insulin in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes (2004, 2009) is retired as of March 2020. Comprehensive and up-to-date evidence-based recommendations for the prevention and management of diabetes are available. RNAO encourages users of this guideline to review the 2018 Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines. RNAO’s guideline...
July 2018

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to enhance the capacity of nurses, the interprofessional team, peers, policy-makers, and employers to meet the needs of breastfeeding persons, their healthy term newborns, infants, and young children, and their partners, family, and support network.