The Clinical Practice Council (CPC)

The Clinical Practice Council (CPC) develops, reviews, and disseminates clinical nursing policies, guidelines, and practice alerts. Staff nurse representatives from each unit in the maternal child cluster represent the needs of their specific unit. These nurses contribute toward shaping nursing practices at their unit level. The CPC ensures that nursing practice documents are based on the latest research and other levels of evidence. Moreover, the CPC representatives collaborate with unit leadership to educate the staff nurses about nursing practice changes.

This unique council:

• Provides a forum for clinical practice issues and solutions.
• Is represented by Clinical Nurse Specialists, Educators, and Unit Directors.
• Promotes active, exciting, and innovative sharing of ideas.
• Meets Magnet status initiatives related to shared governance and evidence-based practice.

The road to new practices begins with:

• Brainstorming and identifying important clinical issues of bedside problems.
• Generating literature that is applicable to selected topics.
• Collecting evidence-based data.
• Discussing the evidence based data and the level and appraisal of evidence.
• Formulating a document and sending it to the nursing policy committee for an appraisal.
• Collaborating and disseminating the policy in sub-groups.
• Presenting the new policy to the unit.

Conclusion:

Improving staff nurses’ professionalism through increased use of leadership and the ability to influence patients’ outcomes positively through the use of evidence-practice principles can be achieved for the best outcome for patients.

Example:

Jane C. believes that parents should accompany their child when undergoing                                  invasive procedures.

Brainstorming occurs:

Why does Jane C. believe in this new practice?

Why is it not being practiced?

Literature needs to be collected for the next meeting

Discussion of the literature is done at the following meeting

A document may be formulated

Collaboration with sub-groups occurs

Present the policy to the unit

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