Standardized Care Plans for Heart Failure and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Community Care.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Schumacher, Connie; Dash, Darly; Correia, Rebecca H.; Reid, Lisa; Chesne, Carol
- Source
- Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing (CAN J CARDIOVASC NURS), Summer2019; 29(2): 23-30. (8p)
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0843-6096
Background and purpose: Inconsistent documentation impedes communication and quality of care. Our aim was to develop and implement evidence-based standardized nursing care plans (SNCPs) for cardio-respiratory conditions encountered in community care settings. Methods: A Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was employed to guide this quality improvement project. We developed and implemented SNCPs with nurses in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Chart audits were used to evaluate documentation after implementation (77 charts). The user perspective was obtained through informal interviews throughout implementation. Findings: Pre-intervention chart reviews (64 charts) revealed inconsistent language and absence of nursing process components thereby establishing the need for this project. The post-intervention chart audit demonstrated improved consistency linking objective data to nursing interventions. The SNCPs were easy to use and decreased perceived documentation time. Conclusions: SNCPs are a feasible method of translating evidence- based guidelines into community care nursing practice. SNCPs comprising guideline content can be used as a clinical decision support tool, quality indicators for program evaluation, and to reduce documentation burden.