Study was assigned as part of the FY 85 AMEDD Study Program and reviewed evaluation and implementation efforts of the AMEDD Standards of Nursing Practice (SONP) between 1978 and 1985. Of significance was the 1983 work completed by a task force of ANC officers at West Point, NY which surveyed 40 Army medical treatment facilities and identified impediments to the efficient and effective implementation of the standards of nursing practice, among which was the need for a standard audit tool between facilities. ANC students in the AMEDD Officers' Advanced Course used the West Point findings to develop a method for evaluating compliance with the standards. The document provided operational definition, guidelines for implementation and evaluation of the Army SONP, and suggested areas of responsibility at individual, facility, and command levels. A copy of their document, in addition to abstracts of two independent efforts to evaluate the impact of the students on patient and staff satisfaction was included in this report. The OAC students' document is a first initiative to develop evaluation methods for the practice standards. It also stands as a preliminary effort to provide a collection of reference for individual facilities to use when developing local programs addressing implementation issues. Recommendations: 1) review and revision of the AOC students' document by nursing representatives within OTSG and HQ HSC quality assurance and consultant offices; 2) publication, in the most appropriate format, of the implementation/evaluation plan with proponency at DA Quality Assurance level; and 3) evaluation of MTF progress based on newly published guidelines.

Errata sheet included.