In September 2024, our organization began the Lippincott® Procedures project, creating and adopting one clinical manual to standardize patient care across Advocate Health. Led by our Enterprise Nursing Practice Leadership team, the goal was to move from three clinical guides to one evidence-based practice manual to help nurses find answers to their clinical questions in real time.
Collaboration was key to the success of the project. On May 1, 2025, the new manual launched along with Lippincott Advisor, a collection of clinical decision support resources that teammates use across our organization, no matter the care setting or population they serve.
Thousands of procedures
A clinical procedural manual provides clear, step-by-step guidance for teammates performing clinical skills in their daily practice (e.g., administering IV fluids, cleaning and dressing a wound). One manual ensures all are using the same “playbook” at the patient’s bedside, helping them deliver more consistent, standardized care with a smaller risk for error. Content is continually reviewed and updated based on the latest research, evidence-based practices, guidelines and regulations to help nurses make informed decisions on patient care.
“Aligning all care areas under a single, evidence-based platform with Lippincott was a bold decision, not only in scale but also in its vision for consistency, access and clinical excellence,” said Enterprise Director of Nursing Practice April Schultz, a project leader.
Connections across divisions
Choosing Lippincott involved professional governance members, clinical subject matter experts and our Enterprise Nursing Quality & Practice Leadership team. A Steering Team and Core Implementation Team met regularly to drive the project forward.
Over seven months, 200+ nurses from across divisions and every service line collaborated as clinical subject matter experts to review and finalize content for over 2,000 procedures. Respiratory therapists, interventional radiologists, physical therapists and informatics teammates who share procedures with nurses were also involved.
“Now we know each other, and this will help with future projects of this scale,” April said. “Forming these connections allowed for the sharing of best practices, creative problem-solving and joint decision making about the future of clinical practice at Advocate Health. This project truly fostered cross-divisional collaboration and partnership, which continues today.”
Humility plays key role
The Lippincott project demonstrated our Commitment to Think Boldly Together: We collaborate with humility, turning the best ideas into new possibilities.
“We came forward with experience and history, but first we worked to listen and understand,” said Enterprise Director of Nursing Education & Professional Development Alisha Updike, who helped communicate about Lippincott to teammates. “Humility was evident in the way teammates listened, adapted and elevated each other’s expertise throughout the Lippincott transition.”
The process included weekly meetings to support specialty groups reviewing content and conversations between clinical experts to discover differences in the way procedures had historically been done. When the project was complete, collaborative planning occurred to educate nurses, nursing leaders, professional development practitioners and others across divisions.
Teammates embrace Lippincott
Teammates say they find Lippincott much easier to use than previous manuals, and they trust its content to guide their clinical practice and patient care, said Enterprise Director of Nursing Practice MaryAnn Moon, a project leader.
“While North Carolina & Georgia Division teammates were already using Lippincott Procedures, the content changed with this transition,” MaryAnn said. “They are reporting they continue to find it a helpful tool to guide practice. In the Illinois and Wisconsin divisions, teammates found the transition to a new manual was very easy to adapt to, saying it’s intuitive to search and find resources they need.”
“It took a shared vision, diligent teamwork and humility among teammates to complete this project,” April said. “I’m so proud of the way we worked together, recognizing the value of everyone’s input and contributions. That was essential to our success.”
