Page under construction - Links to Legacy Guidelines & Protocols coming soon

Protocols: Protocols are medically directed care (set of linked orders) for a specific diagnosis, emergent condition, procedure, treatment, or symptom. Protocols include medications, treatments, diagnostic testing, monitoring and assessment parameters in response to a patient’s condition. Except in emergency situations, protocols are initiated by an order from a credentialed practitioner who is authorized to write orders. Protocols are developed by specific department or programs with input from physicians and approved by the medical executive committee. Protocols containing medications must be approved by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. (definition from Policy 900.3233: MEDICATIONS AND PARENTERAL SOLUTIONS: ORDERS)

Practice Guidelines (clinical standards) define the management/care, in specific terms for broad categories of patient care problems or issues.

a. Practice Guideline topics include patient care issues that cross medical diagnosis boundaries.
Examples: pre-op, management of patient on anticoagulant therapy, skin management, management of the comatose or unconscious patient, management of the patient receiving tube feedings, diabetes teaching, pain management, management of the aggressive or abusive patient.
b. Practice Guidelines differ from procedures in that practice guidelines focus on "what to do" whereas procedures focus on "how to do it". MCR addendum at LGS are practice guidelines defining care of patients with a particular nursing diagnosis.
c. Practice Guidelines content generally includes: monitoring/assessment, routine care, treatment of complications, precautions, teaching, and required documentation.