Guidelines, Policies and Standards: The Benefits, and Challenges
We are fortunate to live in a society that has developed countless standards and regulations to keep citizens as safe as possible from the innumerable potential risk factors. We may take these for granted, but pondering on the topic reveals that in the course of our daily life of going to and from work, dropping the kids at school, getting groceries, etc. we are safeguarded by the existences of scores of guidelines written by various agencies, and followed by those that produce or operate the buildings we inhabit, vehicles we commute in, and the food we eat, and so on.
In the context of healthcare, and in an effort to curb transmission of infectious disease, various government agencies and governing bodies have collectively spent an enormous amount of time and expense to produce very extensive guidelines to be used in clinical settings. These comprehensive documents have been prepared by Subject Matter Experts (SME) in various disciplines and are based on extensive research and experience. Such standards are painstakingly produced to keep us all safe, healthy, and in some aspects can truly help save lives.
However… applying these guidelines in real life is not always as easy as following your favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Why not? Well for one, many guidelines need to be written to cover very broad scenarios, applying in many cases to all healthcare sectors. Out of necessity that means that some points must be intentionally vague. When determining the implementation in a particular field, and further, in a specific ward, clinic or care setting, it’s not always obvious how a rule may apply to the unique situations one may encounter. There are often other factors to consider when interpreting how to apply a potentially vague direction in a practical, specific way.
When various agencies, colleges, or other regulatory bodies write their guidelines they generally do not do so in collaboration with each other. There are many scenarios where they may overlap, and when they discuss the same process from different perspectives, their protocols may differ, or seem to, depending on how it’s read, leading to confusion by those who have to reference several policies covering the same task.
Obviously, when writing general guidelines, it is impossible to anticipate every possible scenario that might be encountered under the umbrella of IPAC. It’s equally impossible to record directions to be followed in absolutely every potential situation. And of course, as we know, there is a distinct difference between how things should work in the ‘textbook world’, and how things actually happen in the sometimes chaotic, real world. Sometimes, it’s simply impossible to follow guidelines perfectly due to an unforeseen lack of time, resources, or patient cooperation. In such cases it can call for discretion on what can be the course of ‘least compromise’.
As anyone who has read the various policies knows, these documents are very large, and often contain very technical language. This can be challenging for some team members, especially newer ones who haven’t had the training or experience to understand the terminology within. This can be overwhelming to understand, not to mention incredibly challenging to remember all the information contained within in the course of performing daily tasks.
Lastly, we live in a rapidly changing world. Things can sometimes change more quickly than guidelines and policies can keep up with, often being written or revised only every few years. For example, one can encounter situations where technology or material advancements were not factored into the writing of the current policy.
The reality is that healthcare practitioners often struggle to determine the correct protocol to follow in their day-to-day, real-world application of policies. This is where IPAC consultants can support team members in action, working alongside in their particular care settings, helping them with protocol development that is specific to their facility and workflow. These consultants have extensive training in the field, fluent in all guidelines, and have years of hands-on experience in hundreds of care settings and are therefore in a position to impart best practices.
IPAC Consulting can also help with setting up and delivering ongoing education programs that are customized to the needs of a particular organization to support the ongoing, and often changing, needs of the entire team. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you interpret and apply all guidelines that pertain to your facility please reply below and we can have a discussion about what support we can offer.
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