Development of clinical practice guidelines for the nursing care of people undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions

Aim: This paper describes the development of nursing practice guidelines for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) supporting PCI nursing care are limited. Method: The National Health and Medical Research Council's (NH&MRC) health and medical practice development guidelines were used for the guideline development process. A panel of experts (clinicians and consumers) attended a consensus conference to review existing evidence. Subsequently, nurses' opinions were identified via an online survey. This was followed by a modified Delphi method was used to refine a draft set of guidelines over two rounds. Results: The consensus conference was attended by 41 participants (39 cardiovascular nurses and 2 consumer representatives). Eight additional members joined the panel for the modified Delphi rounds with 27 participants completing the online survey. The final guideline document consisted of 75 recommendations. Endorsement was then sought from key peak cardiovascular bodies in Australia and New Zealand. Discussion/conclusion: Inconclusive evidence precludes definitive recommendations. Therefore, consultation and consensus are important in developing guidelines to achieve standardised nursing care and monitoring of outcomes. Implications for practice: Nurses play a crucial role in PCI care, yet currently there are limited guidelines to inform practice. This paper describes the method developing clinical practice guideline and deriving consensus.