Existing Evidence of the Business Case for Investments in Nursing Care

Olga Yakusheva, PhD, Douglas Wholey, PhD, Kevin D. Frick, PhD

In our article, “What Can We Learn from the Existing Evidence of the Business Case for Investments in Nursing Care: Importance of Content, Context, and Policy Environment,” we used evidence generated through INQRI funded research to illustrate where the business case for nursing investments stands now and to discuss factors that may limit transferring that knowledge into clinical practice. We found that most of the studies were unable to capture spill-over and dynamic effects. Therefore, the existing business case for nursing investments is likely understated. As a result, organizations could forfeit potentially viable nursing investments that may improve long-term financial stability. We also saw that a fragmented health care delivery system could lead to the financial benefits of a nursing investment accruing outside of the organization originally incurring the costs. Organizations may conclude that implementing potentially quality-improving and cost-saving nursing interventions would be financially unattractive. However, payment reform, with its emphasis on high-quality affordable patient-centered care, is likely to strengthen the business case for nursing. Working on this project leads us to conclude that future efforts should employ methodologically rigorous approaches that focus on societal implications of investments in nursing care, combined with an understanding of potential barriers and facilitators of nursing change.

Bottom line: Healthcare reform and emphasis on cost-effective centered patient approach will strengthen the business case for nursing investments.

This post is part of our week-long blog carnival focused on the Medical Care supplement.  Click here to access all posts in this carnival.