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Weekly Q&A: Integrating EBP into policies and procedures

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, October 25, 2005

This week, a reader asks about merging committees and making policies evidence-based. Read the response below from our advisor, Barbara L. O'Brien, RN, MSN, Cert., president, Magnetic HealthCare Strategies, LLC, in Manchester, NJ.

Q: We want to merge our nurse practice guideline committee with our policy and procedure committee. How do we synthesize these groups and introduce evidence-based practice into the procedures?

A: Combining these committees will take time and careful planning, but don't be discouraged. I recommend you consider renaming the newly-merged group (e.g., the standards for clinical practice committee). The merged committee should communicate with the nursing research committee to ensure that the work of both committees is in sync.

You may also consider inventorying the policies/procedures you want to modify and organizing a project-management time line. You can not hold up practice, so take into consideration the time needed to make the policies evidence-based.

Many hospitals use textbooks, such as Nursing Interventions & Clinical Skills, third edition, by Elkin, M., Perry, A., and Potter, P. (2004), to replace many of their policies, but you should review any textbook selected to make sure it complies with your state laws. If you choose this method, every unit must have the most current textbook as a reference. Also, if you are a small hospital without a lot of resources, then I recommend you partner with a local university or a nursing school faculty member to help guide the integration of EBP into your procedures.

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