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Policies vs. Procedures

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Guest user Created:   Oct 12, 2016 Last commented:   Oct 12, 2016

Policies vs. Procedures

In the healthcare field, Actually, I am confused towards when to determine if a document is a policy or procedure? I know the difference between them, but sometimes on the actual ground, it's a little bit confusing such as: the HR, Biomedical Engineering, IT, Purchasing and Warehouses, and so forth; Are they policies or procedures? And why?
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Strahinja Stojanovic Oct 12, 2016

Answer:

Policies are clear, simple statements of how your organisation intends to conduct its services, actions or business. They provide a set of guiding principles to help with decision making. Policies don't need to be long or complicated – a couple of sentences may be all you need for each policy area.

Procedures describe how each policy will be put into action in your organisation. Each procedure should outline:
- Who will do what
- What steps they need to take
- Which forms or documents to use.

Procedures might just be a few bullet points or instructions. Sometimes they work well as forms, checklists, instructions or flowcharts.

Policies and their accompanying procedures will vary b etween workplaces because they reflect the values, approaches and commitments of a specific organisation and its culture. But they share the same role in guiding your organisation.

In terms of ISO 9001 it is more common to write a procedure for HR, Biomedical Engineering, IT, Purchasing and Warehouses, and so forth because they fit better with the attributes of a procedure mentioned above.

For more information, see:
- How to structure quality management system documentation https://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/how-to-structure-quality-management-system-documentation/

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Oct 12, 2016

Oct 12, 2016

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