Key insights on optimizing the nurses' roles and scope of practice during care transitions included having nurses provide "warm hand-offs" and serve as the "go-to person." The panel also identified current challenges to optimizing the nurses' roles and scope of practice across care transition points. Future research is required to determine effective nurse-led intervention components and in which context do they work or do not.

This article reports results from a systematic review used to inform the development of a best practice guideline to assist nurses in understanding their roles and responsibilities in promoting safe and effective client care transitions. A care transition is a set of actions designed to ensure safe and effective coordination and continuity of care as clients experience a change in health status, care needs, health care providers, or location.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to highlight evidence and key nursing practice, education, organization and policy recommendations from the original and revised Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario Best Practice Guideline, Nursing Care of Dyspnea: The 6th Vital Sign in Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This paper introduces the notion of dyspnea as the sixth vital sign and presents evidence from the RNAO Best Practice Guideline and other relevant literature to support and enhance nursing care of dyspnea in clients with COPD.Background: COPD is an increasingly serious health issue. Nurses have significant opportunity to positively influence client outcomes and quality of life by assessing dyspnea, identifying problems, and applying appropriate evidence-based interventions. Best practice guidelines developed by the RNAO provide a framework to enhance nursing practice and client care.Design: A panel of nurses was assembled for the initial development of the guideline and more recently, the revision to the original guideline.Method: A structured evidence review based on the scope of the original guideline and supported by three clinical questions was conducted to capture the relevant literature and guidelines published since the original publication.Results: As a result of this work recommendations for nursing practice and education are discussed. Organizational and policy recommendations are also outlined. Conclusions:Nurses have opportunity to positively influence client outcomes and quality of life by assessing dyspnea, identifying problems, and applying appropriate evidence-based interventions.Relevance to Clinical Practice: Recommendations made in the best practice guideline will enhance nursing care of dyspnea in clients with COPD and dyspnea should be recognized as the sixth vital sign in individuals with COPD.