RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines Program

RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Program and the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) social movement was envisioned by CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, who launched the BPG Program in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for patient care across all health sectors and settings. The more than 50 guidelines developed to date represent a substantial contribution towards building excellence in Ontario’s health system. The BPSO program supports service and academic institutions that have formally agreed to implement multiple RNAO BPGs over a three-year period, and evaluate their impact on patients, organizations and health systems. Launched in 2003, the BPSO designation has spread widely with more than 1,000 BPSOs in Ontario, Canada and internationally.

RNAO’s BPG Program multi-pronged approach covers:

• individual capacity development through the Best Practice Champion Network®, RNAO clinical institutes and fellowships

• organizational implementation through the Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) designation, BPG Order Sets™ and BPG Clinical Pathways;

• implementation across entire health systems through additional programs

Since its launch in November 1999, RNAO’s BPG Program has produced:

• more than 50 clinical, system and health work environment guidelines

• the Leading Change Toolkit, which provide a wide range of tools, support and strategies to help change agents and teams make lasting improvements in health care.

• many other resources that support the uptake, implementation and sustainability of RNAO BPGs in academic and practice settings across Canada and internationally.

The BPSO designation program, established in 2003, supports BPG implementation at the organizational and systems levels. Internationally renowned, the program has been widely successful in demonstrating the uptake and use of RNAO BPGs.

The program’s strategic approach has been proven to promote the development of evidence-based cultures, improves patient care and enriches the professional practice of nurses and other health-care providers. The end goal: to optimize care, patient and organizational outcomes through the use of RNAO BPGs by promoting a culture of evidence-based practice and management decision-making.