Functions of three major nursing practice agencies

Functions of Agencies for Nursing Practice

Functions of Nursing Agencies

Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) celebrates nursing excellence and advances world health through service, scholarship, and leadership (Pesut, 2004). There are 135,000 active members of STTI, making it the second-largest nursing organization in the world (Pesut, 2004). By providing more knowledge to the community and through educational institutions, STTI is able to support nurses in their professional development. As these nurses develop, they are then able to help others with their development and their health, making the world a better place overall and advancing the desire of people who are considering going into the field of nursing in the future (Pesut, 2004).

The Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Avorn, 2008). It is focused on the production of guidelines to ensure that healthcare was handled correctly. Some procedures and drugs would be reduced under some of the guidelines, though, and that brought the AHRQ under serious scrutiny (Avorn, 2008). The guidelines program changed after several procedures to help people reduce pain and live better lives were deemed unnecessary, and a number of Congressmen spoke up regarding the value of options like surgery for back pain (Avorn, 2008).

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) puts its focus toward research into healthcare that is evidence-based (Avorn, 2008). It is based out of Australia, where it was established in 1996 (Avorn, 2008). There are 72 groups and centers around the world that it operates out of or that are affiliated with it in some way, giving it a wide reach (Avorn, 2008).