Media Advisory - Best practices equal better patient care: RNAO salutes health-care organizations committed to implementing clinical best practice guidelines

TORONTO, May 4, 2013 /CNW/ - The knowledge nurses bring to their everyday practice will take centre stage at a series of media conferences scheduled during Nursing Week (May 6-12).

Registered nurses representing health-care organizations that have adopted clinical best practice guidelines (BPG) will demonstrate how they are making a difference for their patients by boosting the quality of care clients receive and their quality of life.

BPGs are evidence-based tools developed by the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO). Forty-seven BPGs have been released to date focusing on everything from preventing falls and managing pain to preventing childhood obesity and helping people quit smoking. Other guidelines are geared to patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma.

"We are extremely proud of these guidelines because they have empowered nurses to rely on the best available evidence so they can provide care that is truly patient-centred," says RNAO President Rhonda Seidman-Carlson, adding the guidelines also showcase the commitment health-care organizations have to changing the health system so it is more effective, responsive and more cost-efficient.

RNAO's Chief Executive Officer Doris Grinspun says patients aren't the only ones benefitting from enhanced care. "The real charm of these guidelines is that they have captured the imagination of RNs who recognize and are embracing the expertise they bring to their work." Grinspun says the association's BPG program enjoys even more influence across Canada now that First Ministers (Premiers and Territorial Leaders) have adopted the association's best practice guideline on how to care for people with diabetic foot ulcers.

Registered nurses from health-care organizations in Kingston, North Bay, Sarnia, Mississauga and Toronto will participate in media conferences held during Nursing Week:

1.	Hotel Dieu Hospital, 166 Brock St., Kingston, ON K7L 1S4 (Room: Johnson 4) Monday, May 6 from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m.
2.	North Bay Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, 1-524 Lakeshore Drive, North Bay, ON P1A 2E4 Tuesday, May 7 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.
3.	Bluewater Health, 89 Norman Street, Sarnia, ON N7T 6S3 (Auditorium - London Building - 2^nd floor) Tuesday, May 7 from 11:00 to11:45 a.m.
4.	Bayshore Health Care, 2155 Dunwin Drive, Unit 10, Mississauga, ON L5L 4M1 (boardroom) Thursday, May 9 from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.
5.	Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) Telehomecare Program,105 Moatfield Drive, Toronto, ON  (10^th floor boardroom) Thursday, May 9 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

RNAO's Best Practice Guidelines Program is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. It was launched in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for patient care across a wide range of health-care settings.  Health-care organizations that successfully implement multiple guidelines receive special recognition from RNAO as Best Practice Spotlight Organizations (BPSO).

The five health-care organizations taking part in the Nursing Week media conferences are committed to fostering quality care environments by adopting BPGs. To date, there are 68 BPSOs representing 298 sites around the world.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario is the professional association representing registered nurses in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.

For more information about RNAO, visit our website at www.RNAO.ca. You can also check out our Facebook page at www.RNAO.ca/facebook and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RNAO

SOURCE: Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

To arrange an interview with a nurse, please contact:

Marion Zych
Director of Communications, RNAO
647-406-5605 (cell)
416-408-5605 (office)
[email protected]