Question

Describe the process used in workplace when a new policy and procedure needs to be created or implemented.For what reason might they need to be written/changed

Answer 1

• The process of creating a new policy or a procedure can be stated as policy renewal process.
• This is usually done when a new policy or a procedure needs modifications for the betterment of patient care.
• In order to implement a new procedure or policy, the outdated one has to be changed and the new one has to be written or typed.
• Firstly, the head of the work place ( ward manager or nurse manager or nurse in charge) must read the old policy or procedure and then she should remove all the outdated steps in that procedure and include the latest steps in the procedure.
• After that she should send the written or typed format of this policy and procedure for spell check and grammatical errors.
• If it needs any modifications then it is done and then it is forwarded to the management for the officials to review it.
• If the management again prefers to modify it then further modifications are done and final paper is submitted to the higher authority of the work place.
• The staffs are informed prior to the implementation of a new policy and procedures via a notice explaining that the policy and the particular procedure is outdated and from the particular day ( mention the day of implementing the policy and procedure ) the new version of the same are followed.
• This helps the workers to be prepared prior to the policy implementation.
• Policies as well as procedures are changed as per the research which we call it as the Evidence Based Practice (EBP).
• When a particular step in a procedure becomes successful through the research then it can be implemented in patient care.
• For eg. Traditional method to monitor the temperature of a patient is through the glass thermometer but through research it has changed to digital thermometer as well as laser or infrared thermometers are using now.
• It will be difficult for the employees to adapt to a new policy as they may be following the old one and the sudden change in the procedures will be difficult to carry out initially but they will get use to it through practice.

Note: Thus it necessary to accept the changes needed in the policy and procedures as the research progress. We have to change according to the new methods which are successful through research