Standards of Care for Acute and
Critical Care Nursing Practice
The Standards of Care (pp 10-13) are intended to be used in conjunction with the Scope of Practice (pp
5-9), which addresses the role and boundaries of practice for acute and critical care nursing. The standards
apply to the care that the acute and critical care nurse provides for all patients. The measurement
criteria describe how each standard is met.
The professional practice of the acute and critical care nurse is characterized by the application of relevant
theories, research, and evidence-based guidelines to explain human behavior and related phenomena.
Such application also provides a basis for nursing intervention and evaluation of patient-oriented outcomes.
It is recognized that acute and critical care nurses 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 practice.
The standards of care for the acute and critical care nurse build upon ANA’s Nursing: Scope and Standards
of Practice1 to delineate expectations in this specialty environment. The nursing process is used as the
framework, which includes assessment, diagnosis, outcomes identification, planning, implementation