Classification of Standards

There are different types of standards used to direct and control nursing actions.

1. Normative and Empirical Standards

Standards can be normative or empirical. Normative standards describe practices considered 'good' or 'ideal' by some authoritative group. Empirical standards describe practices actually observed in a large number of patient care settings. Here the normative standards describe a higher quality of performance than empirical standards. Generally professional organisations (ANA/TNAI) promulgate normative standards where as low enforcement and regulatory bodies (INC/MCI) promulgate empirical standards.

2. Ends and Means Standards

Nursing care standards can be divided into ends and means standards. The ends standards are patient-oriented; they describe the change as desired in a patient's physical status or behaviour. The means standards are nursing oriented, they describe the activities and behaviour designed to achieve the ends standards. Ends (or patient outcome) standards require information about the patients. A means standard calls for information about the nurses performance.

3. Structure,Process and Outcome Standards

Standards can be classified and formulated according to frames of references (used for setting and evaluating nursing care services) relating to nursing structure, process and outcome, because standard is a