Clinical Practice Guidelines—An Organizational Effort

ABSTRACTIn response to the national trend toward developing clinical practice guidelines, AORN set out to create practice guidelines specific to perioperative nursing. In this effort, a designated group of individuals began defining and reviewing guidelines from other organizations and determining parameters for developing AORN's own patient‐focused, comprehensive, research‐based guidelines. Clinical practice guidelines now have been published in AORN's Standards, Recommended Practices, and Guidelines, and a template has been established to help other AORN members create and implement guidelines for clinical conditions, common procedures, or patient populations specific to perioperative nursing practice. AORN J 71 (April 2000) 852–858.