Methods for Developing Neuroscience Nursing Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Evidence-Based Practice
• Clinical Guidelines

Background:

• Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and evidence-based reviews are crucial for guiding nursing practice.
• The American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) has a long history of publishing guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the rigorous methodology used in developing AANN Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs).
• To ensure neuroscience nurses have access to relevant, evidence-based practice recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Formulating a priori PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) questions.
• Utilizing predefined search terms for evidence retrieval.
• Applying the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology for evidence evaluation and recommendation creation.

Main Results:

• A systematic and rigorous process for developing AANN CPGs has been established.
• The methodology ensures that recommendations are based on a thorough evaluation of the evidence.

Conclusions:

• The established methodology provides a framework for creating high-quality, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for neuroscience nursing.
• These guidelines are essential for improving the specialized care provided to neuroscience patients.