• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Weekly Q&A: Standards of nursing care

HCPro's Weekly Update on the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®*, April 11, 2006

This week, a reader asks for suggestions on ways to ensure that nurses establish and maintain current standards of care. Read the response below from our advisor, Katherine Riley, MSN, RN, CNA,BC assistant vice president of operations and ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® coordinator, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington, VT.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for how I can ensure that nurses establish and maintain current standards of care?

A: To ensure that nurses establish and maintain current standards of care, they must have easy access to appropriate sources of data. One important way to do this is through easy Intranet access. Most nursing units today utilize computers for some portion of patient documentation, whether entering physician orders or documenting online. Computers have become standard equipment in nursing practice and, therefore, should be Intranet capable. Nurses should also be able to access an Internet search engine and a database such as PubMed. Access to a database such as this allows nurses to obtain current research studies and other published information on topics specific to their area of practice.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive