Why do we need standards of practice?

Sample Solution

  Standards of practice are essential to the maintenance of professional and ethical conduct among members of an organization or industry. They are used to provide guidance in order to ensure quality and consistency in the provision of services, which helps protect both clients and professionals alike. Standards can also be used as a benchmark against which performance is measured and maintained.

National standards help define what is appropriate behavior by professionals within a given area, setting minimum standards that all must abide by. Organization-based standards provide rules or guidelines specific to that particular organization, while government-supported standards may outline best practices for health care providers or other industries regulated by governmental entities. In healthcare specifically, there are many different types of national, organization-based, and government-supported standards designed to guide practitioners towards better patient outcomes. For instance, the Joint Commission (JCAHO) has established various accreditation criteria known as “standards” that hospitals must meet in order to receive JCAHO certification; these include requirements such as having a system for evaluating patient safety risks and developing strategies for reducing errors. Similarly, HIPAA establishes privacy protection requirements that healthcare providers must adhere to when managing protected health information (PHI). The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also provides numerous guideliness on sanitation protocols including handwashing protocols and proper use of protective gear during medical procedures in order to prevent transmission of disease. Within my specialty area – Nursing Practice – there are several national nursing organizations with their own set of standards governing nurses’ conduct: one example is the American Nurses Association Code Of Ethics For Nurses With Interpretive Statements which outlines principles related to autonomy, justice/fairness/equity/equality/human rights , beneficence/nonmaleficence , fidelity /veracity , integrity , respect /professional responsibility . In addition the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) sets forth basic understanding on terms like ‘delegation’ which describe how nurse should interact with patients being cared for under their supervision . Finally items such as nurse staffing levels can vary between facilities but general trends have been created through state laws requiring certain ratios per type(s)of unit(s), e.,g., 1 RN per 6 patients vs 1 RN per 8 patients depending upon acuity level etc.. These serve as another example applicable standard(s)of practice found across most states today around US . To sum up, standards are essential components in defining quality care & safe environments from both professional & consumer perspectives . Organizations at all levels -national , state& local -need them if they wish too maintain ethical conduct & high quality service provisioning throughout their respective networks .