The Policy Office offers a few in-person sessions of Policy 101 per year. When there are sessions scheduled, we'll post the dates and locations here. Registration is done via LMS.
Contact us to request a Teams session of Policy 101. We require at least 10 participants to deliver a class.
Before you begin working on a policy, you will need approval to proceed from the appropriate sponsor or initial approval body. If in doubt about who can provide approval, consult the Delegation of Policy Approvals or contact the Policy Office. The Policy Office requires written approval from the appropriate sponsor before we can begin working on any policy.
Planning is an essential part of the policy development process. Before you begin writing a policy, here are some things you should consider and some resources to help you with each phase. If you are uncertain if you need a Policy document or not, use this to help guide your thinking:
As always, free to reach out to the Policy Office to talk it out if you’re not sure.
The policy development process at Nova Scotia Health is governed by the Policy Framework—it's our policy on policies. Review the framework to learn about the details of developing a policy at Nova Scotia Health.
Nova Scotia Health's policy development process is laid out step by step in our policy development checklist. Find more information and resources for each stage of the development and writing process on this site.
Before you start drafting original procedures, protocols or guidelines, check Dynamic Health™ (DH) for skills that align with your policy topic. Current, evidence-based guidance may already be available for you to adopt or customize.
Connect with Interprofessional Practice and Learning's (IPPL) Clinical Practice and Policy team who will assess your needs and work with you to:
Learn more about IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy:
About - Clinical Practice Supports at Nova Scotia Health
Connect with IPPL's Clinical Practice and Policy team
by emailing DynamicHealth@nshealth.ca
Policy should be informed by the best available evidence, which means that research should be done early in the process. At Nova Scotia Health, some resources for conducting research include:
Part of your research should include looking at current policies and practices, both across the organization and externally.
Start by using the all site search function in OP3 to gather all of the policies that currently provide guidance on your policy issue. Look for the common themes across former DHA policies—this may provide a starting point for your document. The big differences in practice may help inform your education or communication plan for your policy.
It's important to keep a list of all of the policies you find related to your topic. If your policy is replacing any of them (and most Nova Scotia Health policies should be replacing at least one former DHA policy), we will need the list of policies to archive when yours is published. If your policy is related to any of them, we will need the list of policies to add to the Related Documents section. Some policies may even be partially replaced—talk to your Policy Lead to help navigate that process.
Contact your Policy Lead if you would like to request policies from across Canada. The Policy Office subscribes to a national network that shares information about health policy across the country.
Keep track of the sources you consult as you do your research. This will make it easier to add a reference list when you're ready to start writing your policy. The Policy Office follows APA style, and will help you to format your reference list.
Watch our APA Referencing video series for tips on formatting, and rules on what to include and what to leave out:
Short Overview of APA from Nova Scotia Health Authority on Vimeo.
For a policy to be effective, the people it applies to need to know about it, and need to have the skills and resources required to comply with it. As you consider the direction you're setting in your policy, use these guidelines to help plan communication, education, and implementation.
Are you writing a brand new policy or revising one that has been around for a few years? Is your policy introducing a practice change? Does your audience have the skills needed to comply with the direction you're setting? Consider these questions when determining which level of policy you're creating.
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Every policy needs to be communicated in some way to your target audience. The type of communication you need will depend on your audience's needs and whether your policy is Level 1, 2, or 3. When planning communication for your policy, consider these questions:
Use the templates linked below to help develop your communication plan, or develop tools of your own that meet your communication needs. If you need advice, or a more detailed plan, contact Nova Scotia Health Communications.
You may need to develop education to support your policy if you're introducing practice, behaviour, or culture changes. Consider these questions when planning how you will develop and deliver education:
Nova Scotia Health has a Learning Management System (LMS) that hosts all online education, and where you can add classroom workshops if you need a record of attendance and registration. Refer to these resources, standards, and guidelines for developing LMS courses to learn more.
If your policy introduces significant changes, or creates education or resource demands, consider developing an implementation plan. This will help you determine your timeline and identify resource needs. Ask yourself:
A thoughtful, well-developed implementation plan can help your policy succeed. Use the templates linked below to help develop your implementation plan, or develop tools of your own that meet your implementation needs.
Note: These templates and forms can only be accessed with a Nova Scotia Health network computer, or an Active Directory login. They will not open using Google Chrome. If you have issues with opening them, please try Microsoft Edge or another browser.
If your policy will be shared between Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health, please contact the Policy Office for the appropriate template. If in doubt about which template to use for your project, contact your Policy Lead for guidance.
As you consider the direction your policy should take, there are a number of lenses that can be applied to help in your decision-making process. Use these resources to help you:
The Policy Office uses this guide to ensure consistent style choices are made for all Nova Scotia Health policy documents. If you've ever wondered about when to use a numbered list in a policy, whether to use a serial comma, or when it's okay to use an acronym, take a look at our style guide for the answers.
The style used for writing policy at Nova Scotia Health is called technical writing.
Technical writing is direct, informative, clear, and concise language written specifically for an identified audience. The content must be accurate and complete with no exaggerations. To deliver the intended message, the text must be objective and persuasive without being argumentative.
Michigan State University. (2007). Technical writing guide.
When writing policy, think about your audience. Consider questions such as:
Every policy we write needs to be clear and accessible to the people who need to use it. Use these resources to help guide your writing process, and talk to us in the Policy Office early and often if you need guidance.
Definitions are an important part of a policy, so don’t ignore them. They perform two major functions:
