Development of Clinical Practice Standards for Nurses

Abstract

Nursing, with leadership from the American Nurses Association (ANA), has a long-standing com mitment to the development of standards. The first nursing practice standards were published in 1973. Since that time, both the ANA and specialty nursing organizations have developed standards. However, the proliferation of standards, reflecting a wide di vergence of intent, format, and scope, has limited their usefulness. In 1989, the ANA appointed a Task Force (now a Committee) to address this issue. The Committee, working with representatives of the spe cialty nursing organizations, has developed a frame work for development of both nursing practice stand ards and guidelines. Standards and guidelines are defined and differentiated. The relationship of stand ard and guidelines development to the federal gov ernment's effectiveness initiative is discussed.