AAACN Standards Revision - A Member Affair

The process for revising the Ambulatory Care Nursing Administration and Practice Standards and the Telehealth Nursing Practice Administration and Practice Standards has advanced to become more open and inclusive. The newly revised standards included, for the first time, the input of AAACN members who reviewed and commented on draft revisions developed by task force members.

This revision process was initiated in April 2005 when the Board of Directors commissioned two task forces - one was assigned the revision of the Ambulatory Care Nursing Administration and Practice Standards, the second was assigned the revision of the Telehealth Nursing Practice Administration and Practice Standards. The task forces were comprised of AAACN members currently employed in diverse ambulatory settings. Standard revisions were founded on extensive reviews of relevant literature and research, coupled with discussions in telephone conferences about practice patterns in their respective organizations. Changes were made based on current knowledge and evidence that were integrated with the professional judgment of AAACN nurses about what realistically would advance professional nursing practice in ambulatory settings. While each task force worked on their revisions separately, the work of each was communicated and integrated through the respective chairs who shared minutes and committee work.

Member input occurred in two separate time frames in March at the 2006 conference in Atlanta, GA, and during an AAACN Web site online review in June and July 2006. During a concurrent session addressing both sets of standards that was held at the 2006 Annual Conference, over 100 members worked in small groups assigned to each standard. Session attendees discussed their assigned standard, making comments and recommendations that were then integrated into the next drafts developed by task forces members.

These drafts were then posted in June and July on the AAACN Web site, and members were invited to review them and submit their comments. The member response was impressive - 234 members reviewed and commented on the Administration and Clinical Practice Standards, and 190 members did the same with the Telehealth Standards.

Comments addressed both the substance of the standards (each standard, the rationale for each, and the measurement criteria) as well as format improvements. The responses and recommendations are indicative of a truly professional commitment to excellence and were integrated into the final drafts sent to the Review Task Force.

We admire your professionalism and insights. The 2007 editions of our professional standards are rooted in current knowledge and the expertise of AAACN members and colleagues. Thank you!

Peg Mastal, PhD, RN

Chair, Administration and Practice Standards Revision Task Force

AAACN Past President 1999-2000

Special Project Director

Delmava Foundation of the District of Columbia

pegmastal@att.net

Sherry Smith, MSN, MBA, RN

Chair, Telehealth Nursing Practice and Administration Standards

Task Force

Senior Consultant

3CN (Call Center Consulting Network)

Sherry.smith@3cn.org

Copyright American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing Nov/Dec 2006
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