Implementing and sustaining evidence-based practices in long-term care.

Welcome

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) welcomes you to the second edition of the Long-Term Care Best Practices Toolkit. RNAO is delighted to provide this key resource to you, developed by the Long-Term Care Best Practices Program. We invite you to explore the resources and share the Toolkit with colleagues in your organization and others in the long-term care sector.

Purpose of the LTC Toolkit

The LTC Toolkit is designed to offer point-of-care staff, nurses, educators and leaders access to the best available evidence-based resources and tools. It supports the use of best practice guidelines (BPG), program development, implementation and evaluation to enhance the quality of resident care and create a healthy work environment (HWE). It is intended to promote the integration of BPGs with relevant provincial legislation, performance improvement and other health-care initiatives.

Structure of the LTC Toolkit

The LTC Toolkit is organized into the following sections:

  • Clinical BPGs – RNAO clinical BPGs and related resources that support the direct care of residents and long-term care (LTC) programs
  • HWE BPGs – RNAO HWE BPGs and related resources that support long-term care homes (LTCH) in creating a positive work environment for leaders and staff
  • Program Planning & Evaluation – program planning, monitoring and evaluation resources and tools
  • French Resources – RNAO clinical and HWE BPGs and other resources available in the French language
  • LTCH Implementation Stories – experiences of LTCHs that have implemented clinical and HWE BPGs. 

Navigation

To access the clinical BPGs, HWE BPGs and the program and evaluation sections, click on the navigation bar at the top of this webpage. To access all French resources, click on the link at the bottom of the navigation pane on the right hand side of the clinical and HWE webpage. Further navigation instructions are provided in each section.

Resources/Tools

The resources/tools in the LTC Toolkit were obtained from regulatory, legislative and professional sources including RNAO BPGs, College of Nurses of Ontario practice standards and guidelines, relevant Ontario legislation and resources from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and other leading provincial and national organizations.

The following attributes guide the choice of resources and tools included. The resource/tool:

  • reflects applicable legislative and regulatory requirements, and/or
  • is included in the RNAO BPG and is applicable to LTC in Ontario, and/or
  • is evidence-based and has been tested for reliability and validity, and/or
  • is consistent with evidence-based practice recommendations and from a reputable organization with direct applicability to LTC, and
  • is web-based and available at no cost or minimal cost to users

Links to the resources/tools will be checked regularly; however, if a link doesn't work please let us know by using the Contact link found at the bottom of the webpage.

The LTC Toolkit is a dynamic resource, and is updated on a regular basis by the LTC Best Practices Program team. Visit this site often to see what's new.

September 2018