Patient safety and quality of care through adherence to clinical guidelines

Title : Patient safety and quality of care through adherence to clinical guidelines

Abstract:

Guidelines adherence among nurses and allied health professionals is the basis of patient care. Guidelines are used to enhance quality of care delivery and promote patient safety through evidence-base practice. They may also standardize clinical interventions by which Allied Health Professionals (AHP) including nurses can be made accountable for. Despite the fact that the development of clinical guidelines has evolved in medicine, nurses and midwifery are becoming more interested in the use of guidelines as one means of facilitating evidence-based practice and ensuring higher quality care. Although nurses and are increasingly using clinical guidelines to ensure higher quality of care, this does not necessarily mean that they adhere to them. Evidence indicates that health professionals including nurses vary in following clinical guidelines and this caused to deliver unsafe interventions and harmful care. It is therefore important to understand the underlying factors promoting and inhibiting guideline adherence in nursing profession. Hence, this has received relatively little research attention. In general, little is known about the process and factors responsible for how nurses change their practice methods when they become aware of a guideline. Nurses’ adherence to guidelines may be hindered by a variety of barriers. A theoretical approach can help explain these barriers and possibly help target interventions to specific barriers.

Takeaway Notes:

1. Understand current issues with Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs)

2. Differentiate between CPGs and Protocols

3. Understand the Development of CPGs

4. Introduction to CPGs framework of adherence and provide recommendations for the implications of CPGs among the nursing profession

Biography:

Samantha Ismaile is the Director of Nursing Program and Assistant Professor at the Nursing College, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU), Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. She obtained her both higher qualifications Ph.D and Master of Science degrees from Durham University, United Kingdom (UK). Dr. Ismaile is a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (HEA) in the UK. HEA Fellowship is an international recognition of the commitment to professionalism in teaching and learning in higher education and demonstrates that her practice is aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF). Dr. Samantha Ismaile has more than 12 years of experience as a registered nurse in the UK working toward achieving the highest quality of care and patient safety. Her research interest is in providing the best quality of patient care and safety through adherence to clinical practice guidelines.