The Impact of Effective Healthcare Policies and Procedures  

Writing effective healthcare policies and procedures requires a great deal of time, effort and attention to detail which involves a multi-step process of writing, reviewing and approving. This process ultimately serves as a key aspect of how healthcare organisations operate and align with regulatory standards. Policies and procedures must reflect the values of an organisation, outline processes for day-to-day activities and serve as a guide to reduce risk and improve quality. Before an organisation starts work on its policy library, it’s important to know the key components of effective policies and procedures and how to best manage them.  

Getting Started with Healthcare Policies  
A good first step in writing effective healthcare policies is to standardise formatting across all documents. It's important for staff to easily read and understand policy content, so they can quickly perform critical actions, especially those related to providing care. In many healthcare organisations, decentralised policy creation processes have led to inconsistent policy formats. RLDatix PolicyStat converts policy documents into web pages, offering organisations the opportunity to apply a consistent format across all policies. Throughout the document conversion and implementation processes, PolicyStat has designated teams to guide healthcare organisations through these steps. Incorporating this standardisation helps all staff members easily find what they are looking for at the point of care. When writing a policy, make sure your documents include the following components: 

- A consistent look and feel 
- The organisation’s corporate logo 
- A table of contents  
- All relevant policy sections  

Once your policies have a standardised format, it’s time to focus on policy content. In today’s healthcare environment, organisations have an increasing number of regulations they must adhere to. Effective policies serve as a roadmap for healthcare organisations to adhere to requirements while clearly establishing their values, ethics, commitments and social responsibility. They also allow staff members to understand their duties and obligations and provide a general strategy for leadership on how to handle various ethical issues as they arise.

Healthcare Procedures: A Supportive Roadmap 
While healthcare policies detail organisational requirements, healthcare procedures establish a clear plan of action to implement them. They provide step-by-step guidance to staff members, helping to clarify guidelines and eliminate misunderstandings. To start, procedures should explain exactly when and how to take action in specific situations. For an added layer of support to staff, they should also provide acceptable alternative options, if applicable, for any steps. A great way to think of procedures is to visualise a roadmap that offers direction and highlights details to help staff members stay on the right path and deliver quality care. RLDatix PolicyStat integrates with third party evidence-based policies and procedures, allowing healthcare staff to seamlessly reference procedures and skills all from a centralised platform. 

Reducing Costs and Preventable Adverse Events with Policy and Procedure Management 
Healthcare organisations must be sure that healthcare policies and procedures are compliant with regulatory standards. Such guidance helps employees follow proper procedures and creates a safe environment for patients. 

Adam E. Block, PhD, a leading healthcare economist, reports that preventable medical errors such as hospital acquired infections, surgical complications, medication errors and pressure ulcers can cost hospitals up to $11.9 million per 100,000 patient admissions. While some preventable adverse events can be attributed to human error, others are a result of faulty systems and processes that could be prevented with improved policy and procedure management. For an organisation’s policy library to make a true impact on care, there must be a system in place to disseminate policies across the organisation. When equipped with a policy and procedure management solution, healthcare organisations are better positioned to reduce preventable adverse events because staff have timely, accurate care information at the point of care.  

Managing Claims with Policy and Procedure Management 
An effective policy management system, such as RLDatix PolicyStat, also supports organisations when situations related to claims arise. If a healthcare organisation faces a claim, it should be prepared to demonstrate that policies and procedures were in place, up to date and employees were aware of and had access to the correct processes. A policy management solution provides a centralised system for this information to be stored and tracked, creating a streamlined process for organisations to access all policy information. Manual forms of policy management create potential for policy information to fall through the cracks. In the context of a claim, a healthcare organisation may be required to prove that a policy was in place at the time of an adverse event. PolicyStat archives each version of a policy which can be located and referenced when needed. 

Writing effective healthcare policies and procedures is critical in helping your organisation’s activities align with its stated values, outline consistent guidelines for staff and support staff’s efforts in preventing adverse events. These key documents provide clarity to staff when they encounter important organisational processes, including patient safety, regulatory requirements and legal liabilities. Effective policies and procedures are just the first step in your organisation’s policy management journey. Having a tool in place to manage your policy library supports improved communication and a streamlined process for creating, sharing and reviewing policies and procedures across your organisation.  
 

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