The purpose of theOrthopaedic Nursing Practice: Process and Outcome Criteria for Selected Diagnoses isto fulfill the profession's obligation to improve the quality of patient care. The standards were designed to provide a general framework by which the quality of care can be measured. The process leading to the completion of this project began in 1982 and resulted in the publication of a document that reflects the conceptual framework of orthopaedic nursing as identified in the philosophy of the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses.