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.

Best Practice Guideline (BPG)

2009

Supporting Clients on Methadone Maintenance Treatment

The RNAO Best Practice Guideline Supporting Clients on Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT; 2009) was retired in October 2020. RNAO encourages users of this guideline to review RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines: Engaging Clients who Use Substances (2015) and Implementing Supervised Injection Services (SIS; 2018).  The related file (below) “Comparing MMT (2009) to Engaging Clients...

Best Practice Guideline (BPG)

2002

Supporting and Strengthening Families Through Expected and Unexpected Life Events

Focusing on the family is an integral component of nursing practice. The guideline development panel acknowledges that most nurses already have relevant knowledge and skills to care for families. However, this guideline was developed to promote and facilitate continuing education, reflection and reaffirmation of the importance of caring for families. The intent of the guideline is to further...

Best Practice Guideline (BPG)

June 2021

Vascular Access

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide nurses (nurse practitioners, registered nurses, registered practical nurses and nursing students) and other members of the interprofessional team with evidence-based recommendations and resources related to the insertion, assessment and maintenance of vascular access devices (VADs) in the infant (0–1 year), pediatric (1–18 years) and adult populations (18 years and older).

Best Practice Guideline (BPG)

2005

Woman Abuse: Screening, Identification and Initial Response

The overall purpose of this guideline is to facilitate routine universal screening for woman abuse by nurses in all practice settings. The intended outcome is increased opportunity for disclosure, which will promote health, well-being, and safety for women. Using evidence-based approaches and recommendations, this guideline offers nurses a repertoire of strategies that can be adapted to various...

Best Practice Guideline (BPG)

2014

Working with Families to Promote Safe Sleep for Infants 0-12 Months of Age

This guideline has been developed to address the question of how health-care providers can partner with families to promote safe sleep for infants 0-12 months of age to reduce known risk factors for injury and death. It provides evidence-based recommendations for nurses and the interprofessional team who provide care, in all health-care settings, to parents/caregivers and families of infants....

Best Practice Guideline (BPG)

2010

Workplace Health, Safety and Well-being of the Nurse

In Canada, more than 16 million nursing hours are lost to injury and illness annually. In fact, nurses have a substantially higher rate of absenteeism than the national average. This enormous tally of lost hours due to illness and injury, much of which could be prevented, translates into almost 9,000 full-time nursing positions lost across Canada each year. At a time when the health care...