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Back to SearchCHEO announced today a three-year partnership with the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) to become a Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO), joining a network of BPSOs spanning 13 countries.
“This opportunity will help transform nursing care at CHEO and build on our strong record of nursing excellence by implementing this evidence-based practice,” said Ann Lynch, CHEO’s Chief Nurse Executive and Vice-president of Acute Care. “CHEO is only the third pediatric BPSO in Canada. Our unique experiences and results will help further refine the guidelines, benefitting children, youth and families across the world.”
Over the next three years, CHEO will implement five nursing best practice guidelines:
- assessment and management of pain
- promoting asthma control in children
- care and maintenance to reduce vascular access complications
- promoting and supporting the initiation, exclusivity, and continuation of breastfeeding in newborns, infants and young children
- person- and family-centred care
“Nurses are the heartbeat of our health-care system,” said Alex Munter, CHEO’s president and CEO. “CHEO’s nurses are not just compassionate and committed to kids, they are highly specialized — after all, kids are not just tiny adults. As a BPSO, our already excellent nursing team will have additional tools and support to help children and youth live their best life.”
The BPSO initiative was launched in 2003 to ensure continuous improvement of the RNAO's Nursing Best Practice Guidelines program. Since then, spotlight organizations have helped refine, update and validate 52 internationally acclaimed nursing best-practice guidelines.
“CHEO’s decision to become a BPSO and implement RNAO’s best-practice guidelines is proof of its strong leadership and commitment to deliver excellence in clinical care. This is the type of leadership our health system needs to ensure the health of Ontarians,” said Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO’s Chief Executive Officer and founder of the BPG and BPSO programs. “Best practices result in improved patient, organizational and health system outcomes, and for that we salute CHEO’s executives and clinical staff.”
During its designation period, CHEO will support implementation and evaluation of its selected BPGs and benefit from access to implementation resources, networking opportunities, research studies and more.
Learn more about RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines Program.
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Media contact
media@cheo.on.ca
About CHEO
Based in Canada’s capital, CHEO is a globally renowned health institution with a mission to provide exceptional care and support to children, youth and their families. Opening our doors in 1974, we offer a full range of specialized pediatric care and services to children from eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec and Nunavut. Our site is home to a hospital, a children’s treatment centre, a school, a research institute, and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa as an academic health science centre. Named Canada’s best health-care employer by Forbes in 2024 and 2025, we are home to more than 6,500 staff, clinicians, scientists and researchers, as well as volunteers – all of whom work together to help children and youth achieve their best lives.