Guidelines and standards are used to guide the delivery of high-quality patient care. Based on the best and most current evidence, they provide explicit recommendations for patient care and goals for quality and performance. Guidelines and standards also drive improvements in the system, including increasing access.
As part of their mandates, the provincial programs of the Nova Scotia Department of Health develop practice guidelines and standards to support consistent, evidence-informed care and treatment across the province. The guidelines have been tailored to the Nova Scotia context by addressing the specific needs of the population and considering the services available within the province.
Information about the provincial programs can be found on their individual websites or the Department of Health website.
To improve access for primary care providers to best practice advice on comprehensive care for chronic conditions, the Chronic Disease Management Guidelines Committee was established in 2008 by the Department of Health to collate and maintain a web-based inventory of guidelines.
To ensure that health care providers have access to all provincial program guidelines and standards in one central place, the group expanded its mandate beyond chronic disease to include reproductive care. The committee evolved into the Provincial Programs Guideline Committee.
Guidelines developed by the following programs are included in this online inventory:
Other guidelines may also be included in the future.
The project is sponsored by the Acute and Tertiary Care Branch and supported by the Primary Health Care Branch of the Department of Health. The Provincial Programs Guidelines Committee reports to the Nova Scotia Chronic Disease Management Advisory Committee.
Members of the Provincial Programs Guideline Committee