Standards of care define which of the following?

• A. The regulatory licenses for nurses
• B. Documentation requirements in charts
• C. Acts that are required, permitted, or prohibited
• D. The ethical principles guiding patient autonomy

Answer: (C)

Standards of care specify what nurses are required to do, what they may do, and what they must not do in specific clinical situations. They come from state nurse practice acts, professional guidelines, and institutional policies, and they reflect evidence-based practices to protect patient safety and ensure consistent quality of care. This is why the option describing acts that are required, permitted, or prohibited best captures the meaning. Licensure defines who is allowed to practice, not the actual care actions; documentation requirements describe record-keeping rather than the full scope of care; and ethical principles guiding patient autonomy relate to moral obligations and decision-making rather than concrete actions nurses must perform.