Clinical Standardization

Clinical standards are benchmarks, measures or quality statements. They are created based on evidence-informed best practice guidelines to provide safe, high quality care.

Clinical standardization is the process through which standards and protocols for health care practitioners and learners are identified, adopted and put into practice.

Clinical standardization:

• Supports patient safety and provides consistency in care
• Delivers patient and family-centered care
• Increases efficiency and optimizes health care resources
• Improves health outcomes, as well as practitioner and learner accountability

Another good example is medication reconciliation during patient transfer. A 2018 systematic review on the subject found that electronic medication reconciliation reduced discrepancies and improved safety (Wang, et al.)

By using established standards to organize and enter patient information electronically, such as date of specimen collection and elements of acuity assessment of patients presenting in the emergency department, we enable seamless integration of services in terms of the flow of patient information. With a new clinical information system on the horizon (One Person One Record) standardization of data elements will optimize integration now and into the future.

Right Information, Right Person, Right Time and Place

The One Person One Record (OPOR) program is a joint provincial initiative. The IWK and Nova Scotia Health are working towards achieving a seamless integration of clinical information systems to provide collaborative patient-centered care.

The work towards clinical standardization can be understood through four key domains:

• Clinical Documentation
• Care Planning
• Medication Management
• Order Sets

Clinical standards are established by:

• Engaging clinicians and physicians to drive high levels of clinical adoption
• Consulting existing best practices and evidence for guidance
• Leveraging existing standardized clinical content
• Gathering local input to make sure standards fit unique contexts
• Optimizing time of staff and physicians involved in steering committees and working groups
• Establishing clear standards of documentation and approval processes

(Healthtech, 2019)

(Healthtech, 2019)