Application of Registered Nurse Standards of Practice in Healthcare

This essay delves into the Registered Nurse Standards of Practice, as defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA), and their application in clinical settings. The paper focuses on the first standard of practice, specifically criteria one, five, and six. It explores the importance of evidence-based practice, emphasizing the need for nurses to utilize research and scientific evidence in decision-making, and the role of ethical frameworks in guiding clinical decisions. The essay also highlights the significance of comprehensive and timely documentation in patient assessment, planning, and evaluation. The author discusses the interconnectedness of these criteria in achieving patient-centered care and improving clinical outcomes, underscoring the nurse's role in ensuring quality patient care and contributing to the overall healthcare process. The essay emphasizes the importance of nurses adhering to the NMBA standards to provide optimal patient care, including assessment, documentation, interpretation, and planning.

Running head: REGISTERED NURSES STANDARDS OF PRACTICE
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Registered nurses standards of practice
Student’s Name
University

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Registered nurses standards of practice
Registered nurses standards of practice provide a framework for nurses to work and
engage in therapeutic relationships in clinical situations. This means that registered nurses are
responsible and accountable to the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. As a practice
registered nurses are required continuously think and analyze the context they work in, develop
professional capabilities and at the same time maintain the professional practice (Nursing and
Midwifery Board of Australia, 2016). The board has set out seven standards of practice that are
interconnected with each other. Standard one of the registered nursing standard for practice
requires the patient to think critically and analyze nursing practice. This means that the nurse is
supposed to use a variety of thinking strategies and combined with the best available evidence to
make decisions within clinical settings that allow the safe and quality nursing practice. This
essay discusses the criteria for demonstrating the application of the first standard and criteria
one, five and six of the standard.
In criteria one of the first nursing standards, the nurse is supposed to access, analyze, and
use the best available evidence for safe practice. This criterion is based on the use of evidence-
based methods in practice and clinical decision making. Registered nurses are not supposed to
use only their expertise but rather are supposed to carry out research on and analyze evidence-
based practices that are required within clinical settings (Groot, Wouden, Hell, & Nieweg, 2013).
The evidence-based practice relies on the use of scientific evidence for decision making within
clinical settings. This means that such practices have been scientifically proven and are not
tradition or any other unproven method. The role of these methods is to encourage professionals
and decision-makers to rely on decisions when making decisions.

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Grimshaw, Eccles, Lavis, Hill, & Squires (2012) argues that when evaluating evidence
for use within clinical settings, the nurse is supposed to review evidence that emanates from
systematic reviews and meta-analysis which are regarded as the highest levels of evidence. An
example of this is the use of clinical guidelines that are designed for the treatment of medical
conditions like those of the heart. Here there are evidence-based guidelines that define how the
nurse is supposed to prioritize care for a patient in such a condition to increase the quality of life
and clinical outcomes. This means that the nurse is not supposed to use personal expertise but
rather follow a set-out plan for dealing with the patient.
The fifth criteria require the nurse to use ethical frameworks when making clinical
decisions. This is a set of frameworks that have been designed to assist the nurse in making
clinical situations through following a set code of ethics rather than personal knowledge. Pollard
(2015) states that the role of ethical frameworks is to guide the action of nurses by determining
what they need to do and what not to do. This means that the nurse can only determine what to
do by negotiating the responsibility of nursing care with the patient. Oelke, Besner, & Carter
(2013) add that the rise of patient-centered care requires that the nurse works with the patient to
determine the best care. In this case, the nurse is supposed to determine what to consider from
the patient perspective and what not to consider. By using this criterion, the nurse is can
differentiate between personhood and the self well. Since different ethical guidelines have been
developed like the utilitarian, consequentialist and deontologist, the nurse can be confused about
how to apply these principles selectively in different situations. The role of nursing frameworks
is to assist the nurse to deal with such situations and find a fitting within different clinical
contexts. This implies that an ethical framework guides the nurse on knowing what to do and
what not to do.

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The sixth criteria requires the nurse to comprehensively and timely document
assessments, and at the same time assist in the planning, decision-making, action, and
evaluations of patients. This criterion defines the nurse as an important pillar in clinical settings
that connects the patients to other medical professionals (Osama, Ahed & Mariam, 2016)).
Nursing duties have been traditionally defined as providing bedside care but this has since
changed to include other roles. This implies that the nurse interacts with the patient in different
situations which creates the requirements for assessment of vital signs of the patient which needs
to be documented to assist in clinical decision making. According to Asmirajanti, Hamid, &
Hariyati (2019) when handling different types of patients, the nurse is charged with the
responsibility of tracking their signs and symptoms before diagnosis of the disease is done,
assisting in carrying out several tests, administering medications and monitoring the vital signs
of the patient in response to medication. This means that the nurse interacts with the patient more
than any other medical professional.
Further, when dealing with patient-related issues, the nurse is supposed to assist in
evaluations and planning within clinical settings through the use of relevant information gathered
and documented from the patient. This is seen in the evaluation of patient lifestyles which forms
the basis of discharge plans for patients. In this case, the nurse is the first contact with the patient
when in the facility and the last contact when the patient is leaving. Nurses are critical points of
care which requires them to work on their assessment, documentation, interpretation and
planning skills.
From the first standard of registered nursing standards, the nurse is required to work
within the standards established by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to achieve the
best quality of care for the patient to achieve the intended outcomes. This means that the nurse is

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guided by the criteria within each standard in achieving patient-centered care and evidence-based
methods. Regardless of the clinical situation and the nature of duties assigned to the nurse, the
same approach needs to be used by the nurse in dealing with the issues that relate to clinical
situations. Therefore, the nursing standards exist as guidelines to define the relationships that
nurses form with patient and other professionals within the clinical environment.

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References
Asmirajanti, M., Hamid, A. Y., & Hariyati, T. S. (2019). Nursing care activities based on
documentation. BMC Nursingvolume, 18(32).
Grimshaw, J. M., Eccles, M. P., Lavis, J. N., Hill, S. J., & Squires, J. E. (2012). Knowledge
translation of research findings. Implementation Science, 7(50), 1-17.
Groot, M. d., Wouden, J. M., Hell, E. A., & Nieweg, M. B. (2013). Evidence-based practice for
individuals or groups: let’s make a difference. Perspectives on Medical Education, 2(4),
216–221.
NursingandMidwiferyBoardofAustralia. (2016). Registered nurses STANDARDS FOR
PRACTICE. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia.
Oelke, N. D., Besner, J., & Carter, R. (2013). The evolving role of nurses in primary care
medical settings. International Journal of Nursing Practice, 20(6), 629-635.
Osama A. A., Ahed J. A. & Mariam K. (2016). Importance and Implementation of Nursing
Documentation: Review Study. European Scientific Journal. 12(3), 101-107.
Pollard, C. L. (2015). What is the Right Thing to Do: Use of a Relational Ethic Framework to
Guide Clinical Decision-Making. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2), 362-
368.