The American Nephrology Nurses' Association has released a new textbook, "Nephrology Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, 7th Edition," that presents detailed recommendations for care and defines every aspect of the nephrology nurse's role.

"Standards of practice set the mark for providing the highest-quality nursing care," said Norma Gomez, MBA, MSN, RN, CNN, the book's editor. "This not only helps keep patients safe, but it offers nurses a clear and definitive process of care for the kidney patient."

Along with these new sections, the expanded Scope and Standards features an introduction to nephrology nursing, a formal definition of the specialty, an updated scope of practice, and standards of practice statements. The 263-page book also has a section of examples on how to use the standards and the nephrology nursing process in clinical practice.

To ensure the new Scope and Standards was as comprehensive and accurate as possible, ANNA assigned a workgroup to spearhead the project and put it out for review by ANNA's national leaders, Special Interest Groups, and members.