NURSING STANDARDS

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Standards
Standards are professionally developed expressions of the range of acceptable variations from a norm or criterion norm. A standard is a means of determining what something should be, in the case of nursing practice. Standards are the established criteria for the practice of nursing. Standards specifies what is necessary for high quality practice.(ANA, 1973)

How its needful in Nursing

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. Provide guidelines and directions for organizing nursing structure and nursing performance. Provide guidelines to enable a systematic and organized approach to nursing care. This helps in improving quality nursing care, increase effectiveness and efficiency of care Ensure that the patients right to consist excellent nursing care is met. Help in supervision and guide staff to improve their performance. Help justify demands for resource allocation. Help classify nurses area of accountability at different level.

Purposes of standards
Assist the profession in evaluating the quality of practice in any setting. Provide a common base for practitioners to coordinate and unify their efforts in the improvement of practice. Identify the element of independent function of practice Inform the society of our concern for the improvement of nursing practice. Assist public in understanding what to expect from nursing practice. Provide a means by which members of different health professions can coordinate their efforts in the improvement of health care. Help supervisors to guide nursing staff to improve performance. May help to improve basis for decision making. May help to justify demands for resource association.

 May help to clarify nurses area of accountability. May help nursing to define clarity different level of care.

Development of Nursing Standards

Three A and three Es should be kept in mind before framing standards. Those are: Appropriateness Accessibility Acceptability Equity Effectiveness Efficiency

Steps in Standards Formulation

Organize a small group of nurse who works in the same field and meets periodically. Divide the area of nursing practice for which you want to work out standard. Review; revise philosophy, purpose and objective. Review nursing theories/ existing nursing care practices, nursing process and identify your client for the nursing care services. Formulation of standard statement in a format for developing standards for nursing practice.

Barrios in Development of Standards for Nursing Practice

Policies Manpower Material Resources Physical set up Finance

POLICES
Absence of laid down standards for nursing practice. Lack of appropriate written policies for nursing practice.

Lack of clear cut job specification/job descriptions for various categories nursing personnels in different health care setting. Absence of policy for having nurse with specialty training to work in specialty care units. Lack of political and professional will and support for improving standards for nursing care. Inadequate autonomy and accountability in nursing practice.

MANPOWER
Inadequate nurse patient ratio. Variance of nurse patient ratio in different shift of work. Lack of awareness of concepts of standards. Lack of knowledge in regard to developing, implementing and monitoring of standards for nursing practice. Lack of plan schemes for regular updating of knowledge and skill in various clinical areas of nursing practice as stated by INC/state nursing council/Health care delivery institutation. Inadequate and inappropriate supervision and monitoring of nursing services provided by nursing personnel at all level. Lack of adequately prepared nurse administrations and organizing the nursing services Absence of recognition, appreciation and motivation for nursing personnel in planning, organizing and providing nursing services. Inadequate job descriptions for various categories of nursing personnel to assure clients of quality nursing care.

MATERIAL RESOURCES
Lack of equipments and supplies to provide even basic nursing care. Low quality and substandard equipment and supplies for patient care. Lack of training in handling various equipment and machines used in advanced clinical procedures Lack of maintainace and replacement of damaged/condemned equipment

PHYSICAL SET UP
Inappropriate and inadequate physical set up of hospital regarding client care units, medical, nursing and paramedical administrative departments. Shortage of water and electricity supplies. Inappropriate drainage and waste disposal facilities.

Q.1 Enlist features of nursing standards. Q.2 Write the format for developing standard in nursing. Q.3 Write down the barriers in developing standards. Q.4 How the polices/manpower/material resources/physical set up obstacle in standard development?