Paper: Successful Strategies in Creating Evidence Informed Nursing Practice Cultures (20th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice)

Thursday, 16 July 2009: 8:50 AM

Irmajean Bajnok, RN, MSN, PhD
International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Programs, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada
Heather McConnell, RN, BScN, MA(Ed)
International Affairs and Best Practice Guidelines Programs, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), Toronto, ON, Canada

Learning Objective 1: identify the elements of a successful best practice guidelines program focused on guideline development, implementation, and evaluation of outcomes.

Learning Objective 2: describe two specific implementation strategies that are paramount to the success of the program and the creation of an evidence informed culture in nursing.

For over 10 years a major professional organization has focused on the development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of clinical and healthy work environment best practice guidelines. The program now boasts 32 clinical and 7 healthy work environment guidelines. It has achieved considerable recognition around the world based on its rigorous development process, and creative implementation strategies. Such strategies are inspired by an evidence informed guideline implementation tool kit, and include individual, organizational and system focused initiatives.

Two initiatives, the Best Practice Guideline (BPG) Champion Network © and the Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) program, have enabled numerous organizations to achieve an evidence informed practice culture, while at the same time foster clinical practice change and positive client outcomes. The BPG Champion Network © is a network of nurses who aspire to help others implement best practices through a recognized model of practice change and a deep understanding of evidence based practice. This network enables BPG Champions armed with this advanced knowledge of evidence informed cultures and change management skills to support peers to participate in evidence informed nursing practice changes.

The BPSO program supports health care organizations in their quest for clinical nursing excellence through implementation of multiple best practice guidelines. The BPSO program provides specific coaching, knowledge transfer experts, and support to leadership in the organization as they implement and evaluate best practice guidelines both organization wide and at the team or unit level. In addition, the program enables BPSO organizations to participate in a knowledge exchange network of other BPSOs striving to achieve similar goals. This presentation will share key success stories of how Champions and BPSOs are changing the nursing and health care landscape to foster a culture of evidence informed practice and management in nursing.

See more of: Changes in Evidence-Based Practice
See more of: Evidence-Based Practice Sessions – Oral Paper & Posters