! Scope and Standards of Practice for The Acute Care

All rights reserved. AACN authorizes individuals to photocopy items for personal use. Other than individual use, no part of the book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sysem, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AACN. INTRODUCTION The standards of clinical practice are intended to be used in conjunction with the Scope of Practice section, which addresses the role and scope of practice for the ACNP. These standards apply to the care that the ACNP provides for all patients. The professional practice of the ACNP is characterized by the application of relevant theories, research, and evidence-based guidelines to explain human behavior and related phenomena. This also provides a basis for advanced nursing intervention and evaluation of patient-oriented health outcomes. The ACNP's critical thinking and selective use of theoretical knowledge and research provide for the comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis of the patient's responses to actual or potential health problems. Theory and research also guide the ACNP's analysis of data, intervention choices, methods of implementation , and evaluation of patient outcomes. To sustain and build on research and evidence-based practice, it is recognized that ACNPs require resource materials in their practice settings, support for and access to continuing education programs , and a philosophy that is congruent with research and evidence-based nursing actions. 1, pgs 17,18 The standards of care for the ACNP build upon the generalist standards of care in Nursing's Scope & Standards of Practice 2 and the Standards for Acute and Critical Care Nursing Practice. 3 The nursing process is used as the framework, including assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation , and evaluation. The standards of care also incorporate competencies specific to ACNP practice. The focus of the ACNPs practice is restorative, curative, rehabilitative, maintainable, or palliative care, based on identified patient need. The acute care nurse practitioner collects data for acute, critical and complex chronically ill patients. Rationale The ACNP generates, collects, and integrates data from a wide variety of sources in order to make clinical judgments and decisions about appropriate orders, procedures , and treatments. Measurement Criteria The ACNP: 1. Independently performs and documents a complete history and physical examination for acute, critical, and complex chronically ill patients. 2. Prioritizes data collection according to the patient's immediate condition, needs, and developmental level. 3. Collects data in a continuous process in recognition …