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Using Best Practice Guidelines to Create Healthy Work Environments: The Data are Compelling!

Tuesday, 14 July 2009

Irmajean Bajnok, RN, MSN, PhD
International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Programs, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada
Sara White, MA
Healthy Work Environments Best Practice Guidelines Evaluation Project, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada

Learning Objective 1: To provide an overview of the pilot evaluation of the implementation of six healthy work environment best practice guidelines, in nine health care organizations.

Learning Objective 2: To highlight the results of the pilot evaluation in particular impact on nurses, patients, and the organization.

Healthy work environments for nurses are paramount to quality health care.  In a major government funded initiative, organizations are  taking a leadership role in developing quality workplaces, through a program focused on evidence based healthy work environment guidelines.    The program consists of development, implementation and pilot evaluation  of healthy work environment best practices related to critical components of quality work environments.  Healthy work environments have been defined as practice settings that maximize the health and well-being of nurses, quality patient/client outcomes, organizational performance and societal outcomes.  Such environments enable nurses and others to work effectively in our dynamic health care settings.   

This presentation will include a brief overview of the project including, the conceptual framework for the project,  purpose, and specific outcomes.  Also included will be details of the comprehensive pilot evaluation study of implementation of the guidelines in several health care organizations.  Results from the pilot testing of these guidelines will be shared including approaches to implementation and how this differs with different guidelines and target sites; outcomes related to effects of guideline implementation on a variety of nurse, patient and organizational outcomes; and recommendations related to sustainability.   In addition, lessons learned related to implementation and how such evidence informed resources can best be used to enhance quality of work life, quality practice and quality health care.

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