SIGN guidelines: an investigation into their value and use in contemporary nursing practice and education

To explore the nature of SIGN clinical guidelines and the nurse teachers' role in supporting their dissemination and implementation within acute care nursing and subsequent curriculum design.

The study consisted of a survey which employed three methods of data collection: a questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and focus group interview.

Those in Scotland directly involved in the teaching of nurses and midwives in pre- and post-registration programmes in higher education institutions (n = 635) and health care professionals (n = 49) currently working in the primary and secondary care setting.

The findings from the questionnaire and focus group interviews suggest that nurse-teachers have limited knowledge of SIGN and that the integration of clinical guidelines in pre- and post-registration programmes is minimal. The findings from the interviews with a variety of health care professionals indicate the implementation of clinical guidelines is at an early stage in most trust areas and that education on their use is a major issue for practitioners.

There is great potential for nurse educators to support the process of dissemination and implementation of clinical guidelines through their integration at every level of the curriculum. In this study both educators and clinicians (particularly in secondary care) were positively in favour of more information and education on SIGN clinical guidelines.