Implementation and utilisation of Australian critical care practice standards: What do we know?

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Practice Standards
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN) released practice standards (PSs) in 2015.
• These standards inform critical care nursing curricula.
• Nurses' perceptions and use of PSs in clinical practice remain unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore critical care nurses' perceptions of ACCCN PSs.
• To understand the utilization of PSs in clinical practice.
• To identify opportunities for supporting PS implementation.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory qualitative descriptive design.
• Purposive sampling of 12 critical care specialist nurses.
• Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews.

Main Results:

• Three themes emerged: lack of awareness, minimal utilization with challenges, and suggestions for improvement.
• Significant lack of awareness and utilization of PSs was identified.
• Challenges hindering PS use in clinical practice were detailed.

Conclusions:

• There is a substantial gap in PS awareness and utilization among critical care nurses.
• Recommendations include increasing stakeholder recognition, endorsement, and valuation of PSs.
• Further research is needed to assess PS relevance and clinician use in critical care nursing.