Nursing standards of patient care and standards of nursing practice--a practical approach

With the revision of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) nursing standards in 1991, a new emphasis has been placed on the nursing standards of patient care and the standards of nursing practice (Claflin, 1990). These standards provide the basis for nursing care and the foundation for nursing's contributions to an interdisciplinary quality improvement program. This article will describe how nursing standards of patient care and standards of nursing practice have been developed and integrated into a nursing department's documentation plan and quality improvement program.