Promoting Evidence-Based Care through Nursing Order Sets

Abstract

Introduction: The use of best practice guidelines promotes evidence-based care and quality health outcomes. Traditionally, best practice guidelines were designed for use as a paper-based resource. More recently, best practice guidelines have been developed for use on mobile devices such as smartphones. Objective: This reflexive article seeks to document the features and perceived benefits of the RNAO nursing order sets and possible implementation strategies. Topic: With the increased use of electronic medical records and hospital information systems in health care, there is now a growing need for best practice guidelines to be seamlessly integrated within these electronic systems. The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) has recently developed nursing order sets as one strategy to address this need. Nursing order sets facilitate best practice guideline implementation in electronic environments by delineating clear, concise nursing interventions (derived from the best practice guidelines) that can be integrated with an electronic medical record or hospital information system, irrespective of the vendor. Conclusions: The integration of nursing order sets derived from RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines within electronic or paper-based systems is one innovative solution to the growing need for evidence-informed decision-making at the point of care. Nursing order sets expedite the knowledge translation process and simplify BPG implementations in electronic environments.[Wilson R, Bajnok I, Costa T. Promoting Evidence-Based Care through Nursing Order Sets. MedUNAB 2015; 17(3): 176-181].