Best Practice Statements are nurse sensitive care guidelines, which have been developed using a systematic and inclusive approach. They represent some of the Research outputs from a collaborative project led by Glasgow Caledonian University and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.
The process of best practice statement development used in the Demonstration Project recognizes a diversity of evidence and the importance of a rigorous approach to knowledge synthesis. The key sources of evidence which inform the content of each statement included:
The evidence review is led by an expert advisor who in collaboration with the development community prepares a draft statement to reflect nurses contribution to this aspect of care and the agreed principles of practice. Implementation of the draft is fast tracked within a demonstration site to test for achievability. Responsive refinement is based on a realistic evaluation of the achievability of the recommended practice. Only that care which could be achieved within the demonstration site is included in the penultimate draft of the BPS which goes out for multidisciplinary consultation. Published BPS arising from this project have been developed within a research based framework, have involved users and are known to be achievable within the real world of practice.