We are pleased to announce that on September 18, 2025, CNO’s Council approved revisions to the Documentation practice standard. This reflects CNO’s ongoing work of modernizing its standards to better reflect current nursing practice realities, and changes in the health care landscape and public expectations.
The revised Documentation standard will take effect on Feb 1, 2026, but is available now to review. The time gap allows us to consult and develop supporting resources, and gives nurses, educators, employers and system partners a transition period to familiarize themselves with the content and incorporate them in materials, such as curricula and policies.
The value of practice standards
Practice standards support CNO’s mandate to protect the public by promoting safe nursing practice. They are widely used by nurses, academic institutions, and employers, and inform nurses of their accountabilities and the public of what to expect of nurses.
CNO practice standard is broad and principle based, so it can be applied to all nurses regardless of their role, job description or area of practice. Every standard is created to be accessible (clear and easy-to-understand), defensible (evidence-informed and measurable), and relevant (reflect contemporary practice, meeting the needs of the public and system partners)
Revision process
To ensure relevance and responsiveness to changes in the practice environment or legislation, CNO’s standards are part of a cyclical review process.
“Our goal for every revision is to ensure standards of practice are informed by the latest evidence, reflect the realities of current nursing practice environments, and remain responsive to the rapidly evolving health care landscape,” said Maya Nikoloski, CNO’s Director of Professional Practice. “Every practice standard is a result of thoughtful collaboration and provide a strong foundation for care that is safe, effective and inclusive.”
The revisions to the Documentation practice standard were informed by an extensive review process that included:
- a jurisdictional scan and literature reviews
- analysis of professional conduct data
- review of practice inquiries
- feedback from nurses through CNO’s Nurse Advisory Group
- input from CNO’s Employer and Academic Reference Groups
- input from system partners, including a consultation survey sent to a random selection of CNO registrants
- external legal counsel input
What’s new?
The main changes to the revised Documentation standard include:
- adding new nursing accountabilities related to the use of technology, such as artificial intelligence and new accountabilities related to supporting collaborative care, for example, clarifying when an assessment/intervention is documented by another healthcare provider
- adding content about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) to highlight the importance of using discrimination free language when documenting
- adding new definitions for frequently used documentation terms, for example, late entries, objective and subjective information
- adding a “Partners in Safety” section to highlight the importance of employer and organizational policies and procedures that prioritize, support and enable client safety
Supporting nurses
To support nurses in applying the practice standard, we are developing a range of resources, including educational webinars, Q&As, scenario-based and reflection content.
These resources will be available in January 2026.