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Essential Skills For Evidence-Based Practice: Strength Of Evidence, Jeanne T. Grace

Individual Articles

The strength of the evidence to answer any clinical question depends on the quantity and quality of the evidence and the consistency of findings across studies. The nature of the clinical question determines what study designs provide the strongest evidence. Randomized clinical trials provide the strongest evidence for therapy and harm questions, while various descriptive study designs provide strongest evidence for prognosis, diagnosis and human response / meaning questions. A systematic review of individual studies is a particularly efficient way for practitioners to determine the quantity of evidence as well as the consistency of findings. For evidence-based practice guidelines, explicit …

Ostomy Care & Management, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses related to the assessment and management of people with colostomies, ileostomies and urostomies, including the assessment and management of the peristomal skin. This guideline will focus on three areas of care: pre-operative, post-operative, and follow-up. All individuals with ostomies, across the continuum of care, including the needs of the family and caregiver, will be addressed.

Best Practice Guideline For The Subcutaneous Administration Of Insulin In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The focus of this guideline is to support nurses, Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) in all practice settings, as they care for clients (18 years and older) with type 2 diabetes requiring subcutaneous insulin therapy. Specifically, this guideline would assist nurses who are not specialists in diabetes care to safely initiate and administer insulin, a "high-alert" medication. This guideline will provide answers to the question: What are the essential client self-care components to be addressed by nurses when caring for an adult with type 2 diabetes who requires subcutaneous insulin?

Essential Skills For Evidence-Based Practice: How To Ask A Clinical Question, Jeanne T. Grace

Individual Articles

Nurses who wish to apply evidence to practice must be able to ask questions about clinical problems in a format that allows those questions to be answered with evidence. This article contains a discussion of the nature of the foreground clinical question in evidence-based practice (EBP) and instructions for constructing such questions. The benefits of this format for locating and evaluating evidence are explained.

Decision Support For Adults Living With Chronic Kidney Disease, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The purpose of this best practice guideline is:

• To help nurses recognize patients with CKD experiencing decisional conflict related to situations in which there is more than one option available for managing their condition.
• To help nurses support patient involvement in reaching quality health decisions. Quality decisions are made using the best available evidence about the options and are consistent with the patients' values.

Supporting Universal Access To Affordable, Quality Health Care, Sigma Theta Tau International

Sigma Resource Papers

Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International support for efforts to ensure access to equitable, affordable, quality health care services across the world.

Assessment And Care Of Adults At Risk For Suicidal Ideation And Behaviour, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline aims to assist nurses working in diverse practice settings provide evidence-based care to adults at risk for suicidal ideation and behaviours. Within the scope of this guideline, adults at risk may include any adult who may exhibit risk factors, with or without expressed suicidal intent.

Nursing Management Of Hypertension, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario, Heart And Stroke Foundation Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline focuses on assisting nurses working in diverse practice settings in the management of hypertension. This work is being conducted to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario's High Blood Pressure AIM (Areas of Investment in Mission) initiative, which was launched in September 2004, and is comprised of two major streams:

1. Improving the management of high blood pressure by doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Working with several key partners, including the Ontario College of Family Physicians, the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, and the Ontario Pharmacists' Association, the plan creates new educational opportunities that are designed …

Supporting Clients On Methadone Maintenance Treatment, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This guideline will focus on recommendations for any youth, adult or older adult either already on MMT or those who are potential candidates for MMT. Particular attention will be paid to priority populations (for whom there are particular physiological implications of MMT).

Promoting Asthma Control In Children, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

Best practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist practitioners' and clients' decisions about appropriate health care (Field & Lohr, 1990). This best practice guideline focuses on assisting nurses working in diverse practice settings in providing basic asthma care for children and their families.

Care And Maintenance To Reduce Vascular Access Complications, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline focuses on assisting all nurses in diverse practice settings, both institutional and community, who provide care to clients requiring vascular access. This guideline incorporates best practices related to the care and maintenance of vascular access devices applicable to all adult clients requiring this kind of care. It should be noted that the main focus of this guideline is the care and maintenance of central venous access devices (CVAD); however, where care and maintenance strategies can be used for both CVAD and peripheral venous access devices (PVAD), this has been articulated in the specific recommendations.

Oral Health: Nursing Assessment And Interventions, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline aims to assist nurses working in diverse practice settings provide evidence-based oral health care to adults with special needs. Within the scope of this guideline, those with special needs may include older adults, those who are medically compromised, intellectually challenged, physically challenged, and/or have severe and persistent mental illness. Many may be frail or dependent upon caregivers to help with their activities of daily living. These adults may live in the community or may be in institutions. It should be noted that children have special assessment needs related to developmental stages that are beyond the scope …

Lessons In Leadership: Angela Barron Mcbride, Angela Barron Mcbride

General Submissions: Nursing as Profession

Lessons in Leadership: The Betty Irene Moore Speaker Series embodies Betty Irene Moore's vision and hope for nurses to lead within their teams, organizations and communities, with the ultimate goal of improving the experience and outcomes of patient care. Through personal experience, Betty recognized that nurses play a critical role in providing safe, high-quality patient care and outcomes. They are caregivers, mentors, teachers and researchers; and they provide 95 percent of direct patient care in hospitals. This recognition gave rise to the Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative, with building leadership skills in nurses as one of its main strategies.

This …

Assessment And Device Selection For Vascular Access, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline focuses on assisting all nurses providing care to clients requiring infusion therapy in diverse practice settings, both institutional and community. This guideline incorporates best practices related to client assessment and appropriate device selection, which is applicable to all clients requiring vascular access.

Lessons In Leadership: Shirley S. Chater, Shirley S. Chater

General Submissions: Nursing as Profession

Lessons in Leadership: The Betty Irene Moore Speaker Series embodies Betty Irene Moore's vision and hope for nurses to lead within their teams, organizations and communities, with the ultimate goal of improving the experience and outcomes of patient care. Through personal experience, Betty recognized that nurses play a critical role in providing safe, high-quality patient care and outcomes. They are caregivers, mentors, teachers and researchers; and they provide 95 percent of direct patient care in hospitals. This recognition gave rise to the Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative, with building leadership skills in nurses as one of its main strategies.

This …

Lessons In Leadership: Martha Norton Hill, Martha Norton Hill

General Submissions: Nursing as Profession

Lessons in Leadership: The Betty Irene Moore Speaker Series embodies Betty Irene Moore's vision and hope for nurses to lead within their teams, organizations and communities, with the ultimate goal of improving the experience and outcomes of patient care. Through personal experience, Betty recognized that nurses play a critical role in providing safe, high-quality patient care and outcomes. They are caregivers, mentors, teachers and researchers; and they provide 95 percent of direct patient care in hospitals. This recognition gave rise to the Betty Irene Moore Nursing Initiative, with building leadership skills in nurses as one of its main strategies.

This …

Adult Asthma Care Guidelines For Nurses: Promoting Control Of Asthma, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The purpose of this best practice guideline is to provide nurses (RNs and RPNs) working in diverse settings with an evidence-based summary of basic asthma care for adults. The guideline aims to assist nurses and their clients to make informed decisions that lead to quality care and improved outcomes (improved quality of life and overall reduction in morbidity).

Reducing Foot Complications For People With Diabetes, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The focus of this best practice guideline is to support nurses as they help people with diabetes reduce their risk of foot complications. Specifically, this guideline assists nurses who are not specialists in diabetes care to:

- Conduct a risk assessment for foot ulcers

- Provide basic education for prevention of foot ulcers for all clients with diabetes

- Implement appropriate interventions when clients are assessed as higher risk for foot ulcers and/or amputations

Assessment And Management Of Stage I To Iv Pressure Ulcers, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The purpose of this guideline, Assessment and Management of Stage I to IV Pressure Ulcers (Revised), is to identify nursing care related to assessment, management of tissue load, ulcer care and the management of bacterial colonization and infection of pressure ulcers. The guideline has relevance to all areas of clinical practice including acute care, chronic care, rehabilitation, community care and long-term care. The guideline focuses on three areas of pressure ulcer care: (1) practice recommendations, including assessment, planning and interventions; (2) education recommendations; and (3) organization & policy recommendations.

Integrating Smoking Cessation Into Daily Nursing Practice, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This best practice guideline is intended to provide direction to nurses during daily practice in all care settings, both institutional and community. This guideline does not describe in-depth interventions for special populations such as youths, although the recommendations may also be applied to this group. This guideline contains recommendations for all Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs). It is acknowledged that the individual competency of nurses varies between individuals and across categories of nursing professionals, and is based on knowledge, skills, attitudes and judgment, enhanced over time by experience and education.

Client Centred Care, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The purpose of this guideline is the development and utilization of "client centred" best practice for all health sectors, which empowers the client, improves client satisfaction, and enhances quality of care and quality of work life. The central theme of the guideline focuses on the experience of the client from his/her perspective, minimizing vulnerability, and maximizing control and respect.

Crisis Intervention, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

This guideline describes best practice in crisis intervention. While its primary focus is on mental health crises, its application has relevance to all settings and populations who experience developmental, situational, community or environmental crises. It is intended that this guideline will enhance the understanding of crisis intervention and standardize its practice, as well as enhance professional nursing practice.

Supporting And Strengthening Families Through Expected & Unexpected Life Events, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

Focusing on the family is an integral component of nursing practice. The guideline development panel acknowledges that most nurses already have relevant knowledge and skills to care for families. However, this guideline was developed to promote and facilitate continuing education, reflection and reaffirmation of the importance of caring for families. The intent of the guideline is to further build upon, improve and deepen nurses' knowledge and skills towards meeting the needs of families.

Excellence In Nursing Knowledge [Complete Issue - Digital Origin: February 2005, Vol. 2, 2], Paulette Gallant, Cynthia Honess, Kathleen Keane, Gertrude Kent, Kelly Lancaster, Alyce A. Schultz, Susan Sepples, Tania D. Strout, Sigma Theta Tau International

Sigma Past Publishing - Excellence Newsletters

Publishing History: In 2004, the Excellence publication was once again transformed, this time becoming Excellence in Nursing Knowledge (ENK): Voices of Evidence in Nursing, an online-only, topic-centric monthly edited by subject-matter experts. Nine issues of ENK were published from August 2004 through May 2005. The format represented the views from administration, bedside nursing, and student nursing in a single issue. Topics explored were Synergy (Martha A. Q. Curley)*, The Future of Nursing (Jean Scholz), Beyond Ratios (Karole Mourek and Ken Colbert), Preventing Surgical Infections (Marianne Fredrick and Lisa Pilla), Elevating Nurses (Susan Torres, Terri Wurmser, and Jane Bliss-Holtz), Clinical Scholars …

Interventions For Postpartum Depression, Registered Nurses' Association Of Ontario

General Submissions: Community and Population-based Materials

The focus of this guideline is on the confirmation, prevention, and treatment of mothers with depressive symptoms in the first postpartum year. This guideline will benefit community, family practice, and hospital-based nurses, as well as other health professionals caring for postpartum women. Specific Practice Recommendations relate to the confirmation of mothers with depressive symptoms and include implementation of effective preventive and non-pharmacological treatment interventions. Education Recommendations are suggested to support clinical practice in the care of mothers experiencing depressive symptoms in the postpartum period. Finally, Organization and Policy Recommendations have been developed to address the importance of a supportive practice …

Evidence-Based Nursing Position Statement, Sigma Theta Tau International

Sigma Resource Papers

Issue being addressed: Evidence-based nursing as the foundation for professional nursing practice.

Reflections [Complete Issue : First Quarter 2005, Vol 31, 1], Sigma Theta Tau International, Hila J. Spear, Linda H. Aiken, Chad S. Priest, Faisal Aboul-Enein, Khurshid Khowaja, Beth Anderson

Sigma Past Publishing - Reflections Magazine

Publishing History: Print issues of Reflections magazine were published from 1975 to 1999 and its successor, Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL) began publication in 2000. RNL migrated to an online format, http://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org, in 2006 and continues today.

RNL is a member benefit of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). The historical print issues have been made openly available.

Publishing Frequency: Quarterly until its transition to online. It’s now updated virtually every day.

Format: Print, 1975 - 2005; Online, 2006 - present

Feature Articles in this Issue:

"Good Morning, Boys and Girls; Have You Thought About …

Reflections [Complete Issue : Second Quarter 2005, Vol 31, 2], Sigma Theta Tau International, Safina England, Mary Chaffee, M. Colleen Stainton, Joanne Rycroft-Malone, Patricia M. Speck, Mary Sullivan, Constance A. Morrison, Evelyn Parrish, David R. Thompson, Therese Connell Meehan, Anie Sanentz Kalayjian, Susan Benedict

Sigma Past Publishing - Reflections Magazine

Publishing History: Print issues of Reflections magazine were published from 1975 to 1999 and its successor, Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL) began publication in 2000. RNL migrated to an online format, http://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org, in 2006 and continues today.

RNL is a member benefit of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). The historical print issues have been made openly available.

Publishing Frequency: Quarterly until its transition to online. It’s now updated virtually every day.

Format: Print, 1975 - 2005; Online, 2006 - present

Feature Articles in this Issue:

That First Day

Reaching Beyond the Familiar

The Power …

[Global Health] Policy Position Statement, Sigma Theta Tau International

Sigma Resource Papers

Issue being addressed:
Defining and/or supporting health, nursing and other positions which influence global health.

Resource Paper And Position Statement On: Leadership And Leadership Development Priorities, Sigma Theta Tau International

Sigma Resource Papers

The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International has long recognized and supported the importance of leadership and leadership development in the nursing profession. As the honor society works to improve the health of the world’s people through its global community of nurses, affirming the role of nurses as leaders and developing strategies for supporting the leadership development of nurses is imperative. In 2003, Sigma Theta Tau International President Daniel J. Pesut, PhD, APRN, BC, FAAN, invited the International Leadership Institute Advisory Council to develop a position statement on leadership. The Advisory Council acknowledges the contributions of researchers, writers …