Policies and Procedures in Nursing Practice Policies and procedures in nursing practice are important for nurses to perform and provide quality care and patient safety. Policies and procedures help nurses prevent errors and perform procedures safely for patients. It also brings uniformity in following organizational guidelines. Policies and procedures are designed to influence and determine major decisions, actions and activities that take place within the boundaries they establish. Procedures are the specific methods used to express policies into action in daily operations. Policies and procedures are made easily understandable for users, well organized and easily accessible (Policies and Procedures - Definition, 2012). Nowadays, most hospitals and clinics maintain their nursing policies and procedure manuals on the campus intranet/public units and also on the units. The writer, as a nursing leader, has access to use these resources. Evidence-based policy has been defined as an approach that “helps people make well-informed decisions about policies, programs and projects by placing the best available research evidence at the heart of policy development and implementation” (Davies, 1999 ). This nurse leader's framework uses evidence-based policies sourced from the best available resources. One day, the writer happened to see another nurse changing a dressing on the peripherally inserted central catheter line. As a nursing leader, this writer asked the nurse why she is changing the dressing. The healthcare provider explained that dressing changes can prevent infection at the site and that there are many patients readmitted due to central line infections and resulting complications. This nurse demonstrated good knowledge... middle of paper... which deviates from the standards of practice. Written policies and procedures and evidence-based practice are extremely important initiatives in nursing and this writer recommends nursing groups and educators with the help of the organization to create evidence-based changes in the nursing profession that will extend the growth of high-quality care. By providing high-quality care, nurses support the patient and therefore the community in which they are located. Works Cited Davies, P. (1999). What is evidence-based education? British Journal of Educational Studies, 47(2), 108-121.Policies and procedures - Definition. (2012). Retrieved from Business Dictionary: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/policies-and-procedures.htmlRichardson, W., Sackett, D., Rosenberg, W., & Haynes, R. (1997). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM. London (UK): Churchill Livingstone.