Guidelines and protocols: a chance to take the lead

Protocols and guidelines have been heralded by many as a panacea for the problems associated with the rising costs of health care and variations in clinical practice. These variations occur despite very similar medical conditions and often indicate poor use of research-based evidence to inform patient care. This has resulted in a national push towards greater use of protocols and guidelines as means of informing and indeed improving clinical practice. In order that protocols and guidelines achieve their full potential, it is essential that nurses, who deliver the majority of direct patient care, grasp the opportunity to influence their development. They need to be used as a framework to guide existing practices and as a focus to shape future work on clinical effectiveness. This paper examines definitions of guidelines and protocols and considers their use for the development of nursing practice, improvement of patient care and introduction of greater clarity in the use of health-care resources.