Development of evidence-based remote telemetry policy guidelines for a multifacility hospital system

Over 10 years ago, the standards for cardiac monitoring were set forth by the Councils on Cardiovascular Nursing, Clinical Cardiology, and Cardiovascular Disease in the Young. The standards were endorsed by the International Society of Computerized Electrocardiology and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The American Heart Association printed the standards as an American Heart Association Scientific Statement. The standards provided direction related to remote telemetry monitoring to acute care hospitals. Since the standards were published, remote monitoring of cardiac patients has increased dramatically prompting research and literature related to appropriate utilization. Appropriate and safe telemetry monitoring requires clearly written evidence-based facility policies. This article describes the process whereby a team of Veterans Hospital Administration nurses from across the country reviewed 70 remote telemetry policies representing 75 Veterans Hospital Administration hospitals for clarity, consistency, and congruency to existing levels of evidence found in the literature. This article describes the processes, successes, and challenges of compiling an evidence-based remote telemetry policy guideline.