Canadian nursing organizations are recognized for their contribution to nursing excellence at the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI)

Toronto, November 3, 2009 - Canadian nursing organizations are recognized for their contribution to nursing excellence at the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) biennial conference in Indianapolis.The Practice Academe Innovation Collaboration award was presented to representatives of Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), the 21 Best Practice Spotlight organizations (BPSOs) and the joint RNAO/University of Ottawa (UO) Nursing Best Practice Research Unit (NBPRU). The inaugural award recognizes the significance and value of collaborative efforts between nursing practice and academia to improve the health of people internationally.

This exciting collaboration started 10 years ago when RNAO began leading the development, dissemination and evaluation of best practice guidelines (BPGs) to improve patient care.“What was once a dream is now a full fledge program serving nurses, their patients and service organizations,” said Doris Grinspun, RNAO’s executive director adding, “the association is thrilled to be recognized with such a prestigious award by STTI”.

As part of the program the NBPR Unit was established by the RNAO and the University of Ottawa to assess the impact of these guidelines on nursing practice, clinical and organizational outcomes. “Our collaboration is solid and meaningful” said NBPRU co-chair Barbara Davies adding, “together, we are advancing nursing knowledge and research in the area of best practice guidelines.” Irmajean Bajnok, director of the International Affairs and Best Practice Program stresses the importance of the BPSO’s as they are “critical partners of this collaborative. It is nurses and hospitals that bring these guidelines to life at the patient bedside. By using the guidelines they generate real impact on patient outcomes.”

To date this partnership has resulted in the development of 40 guidelines (clinical and healthy work environment), and others which are under development. They are available at no cost on the RNAO website. Many of the guidelines have been translated to French and other languages.Other implementation strategies include a network of over three thousand nurses from over 600 health care organizations who champion the implementation of best practice guidelines. The website also contains numerous toolkits, e-learning modules and PDA versions of the guidelines which are accessible to nurses from around the world.

The 21 BPSO’s are located in Ontario and include, Hôpital Charles LeMoyne, Hôpital régional de Sudbury Regional Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Niagara Health System, Royal Victoria Hospital, Saint Elizabeth Health Care University Health Network, VON Canada,West Park Healthcare Centre, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Community Care Access Centre HNHB, Extendicare York, Hamilton Health Sciences, The Hospitial for Sick Children, Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre , Niagara Region Public Health Department, The Ottawa Hospital , St. Joseph's Health Care, London, St. Joseph's Health Care, Hamilton. These BPSO’s continue as active members of the RNAO/BPSO/ UofOttawa collaborative.

RNAO’s ambitious Best Practice Guidelines Program, funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, was launched in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for patient care across a wide spectrum of health-care areas. The 40 guidelines developed to date are a substantive contribution towards building excellence in Ontario’s health-care system. They are available to nurses, other health care professionals and organizations across Canada and abroad. To learn more about RNAO’s Nursing Best Guidelines Program or to view these resources, please visit www.rnao.org/bestpractices.

The NBPRU is a unique collaboration between researchers and educators at the University of Ottawa and the RNAO. The Unit strives to bring the best knowledge to nursing and healthcare to enhance practice and improve health and system outcomes. The University of Ottawa is one of the largest nursing schools in Canada with 1500 students currently registered in several programs in English and French (BScN, Post-RN, Nurse-Practitioner, MScN, PhD). The School of Nursing has a PhD program in Nursing which was launched in the fall 2004. The NBPRU will contribute to the scholarship development in all programs and will help distinguish the University of Ottawa as a leading center in nursing research in Canada. For More Information Contact :
Suriya Veerappan
Media Relations Coordinator
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario
Work phone: 416-907-7956
Cell: 647-504-4008
Toll-free: 1-800-268-7199 ext.253
sveerappan@rnao.org