Development and Implementation of Cornerstone Documents to Support Nursing Practice in Cambodia.

Abstract

Cornerstone, or guiding documents, for nursing and healthcare support the profession of nursing throughout the world. This article describes the impact of the civil war and instability in Cambodia that led to poverty and destruction of the healthcare system and provides a brief overview of nursing in Cambodia today. Since the 1990s, the Cambodian healthcare system has been recovering from war. Nurses have been transitioning from task oriented roles to more sophisticated roles that incorporate the nursing process. In addition to significant changes in nursing education and other advances in the healthcare system during the last five years, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has strongly encouraged the development of cornerstone documents to guide nursing practice for patient care provided in Cambodia. Standards and competencies have been developed based on the American Nurses Association (ANA) template for Scope and Standards of Practice. Cornerstone documents for nursing that have been implemented by the MoH, many at the Angkor Hospital for Children, include evidence based protocols, the nursing process framework, the Code of Ethics for Nurses and development of the Scope of Practice and Standards of Care for Cambodian Nurses.