title: Linking key functions and important aspects of care: perspectives on perioperative, medical-surgical, and perinatal nursing.
abstract: Most professions are defined, at least in part, by the functions they perform. Nursing, it its pursuit of a definition, has begun to define its scientific functional base. This article attempts to advance that definition by outlining generic functions that define the practice of nursing. The study described in the article used these generic functions to determine what quality professionals perceived to be the key functions in medical-surgical, perioperative, and perinatal nursing. Once defined, these key functions can serve as the basis for specialty discipline standards development, research, indicator development, and competency definition, assessment, and improvement.
authors.affiliation: Division of Continuing Education and Training, Mosby, St. Louis, MO.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schroeder
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007388:Internal Medicine; D007587:Job Description; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009732:Nursing Care / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D009736:Nursing Process; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care; D012380:Role; D013041:Specialties, Nursing / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States