Clinical practice guidelines--an organizational effort.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Administration

Background:

• Growing national emphasis on clinical practice guidelines.
• Need for standardized perioperative nursing protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop specific, research-based clinical practice guidelines for perioperative nursing.
• To establish a framework for creating and implementing these guidelines.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing existing guidelines from other organizations.
• Defining parameters for AORN's patient-focused guidelines.
• Establishing a template for guideline development.

Main Results:

• Publication of AORN's Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines.
• Creation of a template to facilitate guideline implementation.

Conclusions:

• AORN has successfully established a system for developing and disseminating perioperative nursing practice guidelines.
• The developed guidelines and template support evidence-based practice in perioperative nursing.