Quality Indicators Sensitive to Nurse Staffing in Acute Care Settings

摘要

In this era of patient safety, quality indicators associated with the nursing profession have evolved from nursing-sensitive to adverse event sensitive. This paper aims to compare and contrast available quality indicator ools associated with nurse staffing outcomes. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of literature from the past 6 years, identifying research and/or monitoring efforts reporting structure, process, and/or outcomes measures associated with nursing care. Twenty-four articles were selected, and identified indicators from the National Quality Forum were compared/contrasted with relevant AHRQ Patient Safety Indicators. Results: The results of this study provide an important comparative assessment of the types, content, and intended purpose of available nursing indicators. We found little overlap and direction in the types of indicators available to examine the influence of nurse staffing on the outcomes of care. Further, there are no process measures available. The need for consistent indicator definitions and process measures is addressed.