Article type
Abstract
"Background: Since 1999, a nursing association in Ontario, Canada has been developing evidence-based best practice guidelines (BPG), actively supporting their uptake and sustainability, and evaluating the impact of these BPGs on people, organizations and health system outcomes.
Objectives: This presentation describes the association’s seven-step BPG development process, outlining how priorities are established and recommendations are made. Unique aspects of the association’s work will be highlighted, such as developing guidelines that address emerging health system and equity-deserving topics, in partnership with people most impacted by guideline recommendations.
Methods: Prior to developing a BPG, existing literature and guidelines are reviewed, and interviews and discussion groups are held with experts including those with lived expertise in the topic area to inform the purpose, scope and priority recommendation areas. The BPG is then developed by an appointed expert panel with guidance from guideline development methodologists according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methods where appropriate. The expert panel comprises nurses, other health providers and persons with lived experience. Conditional or strong recommendations are formulated based on systematic reviews and the certainty of the evidence. Tips to support the implementation of each recommendation are provided, along with important health equity considerations. Additional guidance is provided through good practice statements and relevant guiding principles and frameworks. Prior to publication, draft guidelines are externally reviewed to ensure BPGs meet the needs of end users.
Results: 54 guidelines have been developed to date, representing a substantial contribution to evidence-informed practice. Additional resources to support implementation of the BPGs have also been developed, including fact sheets for persons and families receiving care, as well as implementation toolkits, order sets and clinical pathways for embedment in electronic medical records.
Conclusion: To shape healthcare at the individual, organizational and system levels, guidelines must be developed in partnership with people impacted by guideline recommendations. This presentation outlines one association’s commitment to rigorously developing evidence-based guidelines that serve the global community. To strengthen the associations’ development process, continuous efforts are being made to keep methodology up-to-date and incorporate evaluation data from end users implementing BPGs into the guideline development process.
"
Objectives: This presentation describes the association’s seven-step BPG development process, outlining how priorities are established and recommendations are made. Unique aspects of the association’s work will be highlighted, such as developing guidelines that address emerging health system and equity-deserving topics, in partnership with people most impacted by guideline recommendations.
Methods: Prior to developing a BPG, existing literature and guidelines are reviewed, and interviews and discussion groups are held with experts including those with lived expertise in the topic area to inform the purpose, scope and priority recommendation areas. The BPG is then developed by an appointed expert panel with guidance from guideline development methodologists according to the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methods where appropriate. The expert panel comprises nurses, other health providers and persons with lived experience. Conditional or strong recommendations are formulated based on systematic reviews and the certainty of the evidence. Tips to support the implementation of each recommendation are provided, along with important health equity considerations. Additional guidance is provided through good practice statements and relevant guiding principles and frameworks. Prior to publication, draft guidelines are externally reviewed to ensure BPGs meet the needs of end users.
Results: 54 guidelines have been developed to date, representing a substantial contribution to evidence-informed practice. Additional resources to support implementation of the BPGs have also been developed, including fact sheets for persons and families receiving care, as well as implementation toolkits, order sets and clinical pathways for embedment in electronic medical records.
Conclusion: To shape healthcare at the individual, organizational and system levels, guidelines must be developed in partnership with people impacted by guideline recommendations. This presentation outlines one association’s commitment to rigorously developing evidence-based guidelines that serve the global community. To strengthen the associations’ development process, continuous efforts are being made to keep methodology up-to-date and incorporate evaluation data from end users implementing BPGs into the guideline development process.
"