Decision Support Tools

Emergency Cardiac Care: Provincial Guidelines and Tools for Registered Nurses

The Health Professions Act specifies the following restricted activities under Section 6, which means that a registered nurse, in the course of practising nursing, may carry out these actions without a physician's order.

(a) make a nursing diagnosis identifying a condition as the cause of the signs or symptoms of an individual;

(e) administer oxygen by inhalation

(j) apply electricity for the purpose of defibrillation in the course of emergency cardiac care

(l) in respect of a drug specified in Schedule 1 of the Drug Schedules Regulation, compound, dispense or administer the drug…for the purpose of treating cardiac dysrhythmia

(k) compound, dispense or administer by any method a drug specified in Schedule II of the Drug Schedules Regulation, B.C. Reg. 9/98...such as the following: sublingual nitroglycerin

The BC College of Nurses and Midwives names Providence Health Care as the expert agency that develops and maintains documents outlining both the required competencies for nurses to carry out these activities safely, and also decision support tools to assist registered nurses in these activities.  Follow the links below to view these revised (2021) documents.

Core Competencies for Emergency Cardiac Care

Emergency Cardiac Care Decision Support Tool 1

Emergency Cardiac Care Decision Support Tool 2

Emergency Cardiac Care Decision Support Tool 3

Infographic: Summary of DST #1 (cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, cardiac drugs NOT available)

Infographic: Summary of DST #2 (cardiac monitoring, defibrillation, cardiac drugs AVAILABLE)

Infographic: Summary of DST #3 (patients with chest pain/discomfort suggestive of acute coronary syndrome)