Standardised policies and procedures boost patient safety

Adopting a cloud-based procedures solution can significantly reduce the organizational burden of creating and updating procedures while ensuring that nursing staff have access to the latest evidence in their workflow.

Clinical care variance is another challenge that nurses face when delivering quality care. Standardised policies and procedures can reduce this variability of care, prompt more consistent care with fewer errors, and enhance the nurses’ confidence and competence. Standardisation also allows for smoother transitions as staff move around within the healthcare system.

Implications of misaligned policies and procedures

Nurses must rely on hospital policies and procedures to ensure safe care. If the organisation lacks the latest evidence on which to base this care, this can lead to two dire outcomes.

1. Nurses don’t feel supported in their desire to provide safe, effective patient care, increasing the risk that they leave

Nurses need to feel confident about the workflow accessibility, integrity, and relevancy of evidence-based clinical information incorporated into policies and procedures. Studies report that the more nurses feel supported and competent in their work, the more satisfied and more likely they are to remain with their employers. Nurse leaders set the tone for improving care and promoting safety beyond the technical requirements of compliance. Being able to access available, reliable, and up-to-date policies and procedures makes that job much easier.

2. Inconsistency can create confusion

Many organisations fail to update their policies and procedures regularly, which puts their employees and patients at risk. They can remove the burden of having to maintain their own resources by investing in an evidence-based procedures system that is frequently updated. Failure to modify procedures on a regular basis may result in organisational disconnects, causing nurses to ask: “Do I follow hospital procedures or the latest clinical evidence?”

What can nurse leaders do?

Leaders can undertake three actions to positively influence organisational alignment and proactive engagement of properly maintained policies and procedures.

1. Adopt a mindset of safety first, not checking boxes

To provide exceptional evidence-based care, nurses need to feel confident about the accuracy of the clinical content integrated into a hospital’s policies and procedures. This will also help them point out any outdated practices that may compromise patient safety.

2. Link procedures to policies for easy access and reference

All procedures should be linked to a policy. Policies rarely change, but procedures may change frequently based on new evidence. Hospital policies and procedures can be either combined or separate documents.

3. Promote shared governance

Promoting shared decision-making at the nurse level creates an environment that fosters empowerment and, in turn, supports retention efforts. Managers who seek and value contributions from staff promote a climate where relevant information is shared effectively. One solution to the exodus of experienced nurses is to institute a knowledge-sharing and transfer system to help retain their institutional wisdom.

Implementing a well-managed policy and clinical procedures program can help:

• Establish a single source of evidence-based truth for clinical policy and procedures
• Support current, consistent, and reliable clinical care by providing access to the latest evidence-based clinical information
• Promote standardisation across the hospital/health system
• Provide a governance structure for policy and documentation management and repository

Learn about the benefits of Lippincott® Procedures.