Best Practice Guidelines

RNAO has more than 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.

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 2016

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.

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.

September 2012

The aim of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide evidence-based recommendations for Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses and other health-care providers to facilitate client-centred learning that promotes and enables clients to take action for their health. 

June 2017

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide best practices for tobacco interventions for nurses and other health-care providers across all care settings, with evidence-based recommendations related to assessment and interventions for adults who use tobacco.

May 2020

The purpose of this best practice guideline (BPG) is to provide nurses, the interprofessional team and caregivers with evidence-based recommendations for the provision of oral care for adults (18 years of age and older) that will: 

• promote an interprofessional approach to providing oral care, 
• enhance the delivery of oral care interventions, and 
• ultimately lead to positive oral health outcomes for persons.

March 2020

This best practice guideline (BPG) provides evidence-based recommendations to nurses and the interprofessional health team who support adults experiencing the last 12 months of a progressive life-limiting illness, and their families and caregivers.