Abington Memorial Hospital located in the Philadelphia suburb of Abington, has implemented evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for clinicians at the point of care. Barbara Wadsworth, Abington’s chief nursing officer, says the results have reduced care variance, improved interdisciplinary collaboration and increased accountability among caregivers.
“It’s very reassuring to know that nurses and others have access to the data they need to make confident, informed decisions,” Wadsworth says. “We had some guidelines before, but the difference in terms of the quality of the CPMRC information and its ease of use is like night and day. We feel like we’ve fundamentally transformed the way we provide care.”
Beyond boosting quality, the clinical practice guidelines — along with the interdisciplinary practice framework (CPM Framework) and clinical documentation system that accompanies them — have played a central role in helping Abington achieve coveted Magnet Status under the Magnet Recognition Program, an initiative designed to recognize quality of care, professionalism and best practices in nursing.
Today, the CPM Framework, evidence-based guidelines and clinical documentation system combined with the hospital’s EHR technology — are utilized throughout the hospital’s medical/surgical, pediatric and critical care units. The applications also are being rolled out in the neonatal intensive care and psychiatry departments.
With workstations strategically placed on each unit, the practical benefits of the guidelines and documentation have been immediate, Wadsworth says.
“It gives the novice nurse immediate information that he or she needs to care for the patient,” she says. “At the same time, it provides more experienced clinicians with a reference point for a disease that they perhaps haven’t seen in a while, or one they’ve never cared for before. Now, signs and symptoms of complications, nursing interventions and patient education — everything they need to be doing for that patient — is clearly articulated and just a mouse-click away.”
