Patient Satisfaction, Outcomes Could Improve with Use of Nursing Quality Analytics Data

Having access to a quality analytics database that measures clinical data specific to the role of nurses as well as data about the nursing environment, could help improve patient satisfaction and outcomes nationwide, according to Christina Dempsey, chief nursing officer at Press Ganey.

Press Ganey, an organization that works to help hospitals and other medical facilities improve patient experiences, recently acquired the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) from the American Nursing Association (ANA). NDNQI includes clinical quality measures and corresponding information on nurse engagement and the nursing environment. Press Ganey is distilling the data into four areas that affect the patient experience. They believe this approach will ultimately help their clients decide where to invest in improvements.

“Nurse-sensitive indicators reflect the structure, the process and the outcomes of nursing care,” Dempsey told HealthITAnalytics. “The structure of nursing care is indicated by the supply of the nursing staff, the skill level of the nursing staff, and the education of the nursing staff.  Process indicators measure things like assessments, intervention, and job satisfaction.  And then outcomes are those things that improve if there’s a greater quantity or quality of nursing care, such as pressure ulcers and falls.”

“… Being able to bring some of that data together will allow managers, clinicians, and nurses at the bedside better understand what they need to do for which population of patients to get the highest and best return,” Dempsey said.

Do Public Reporting Laws Affect Nurse Staffing, Patient Safety?

A new $214,000 grant from RWJF’s Future of Nursing National Research Agenda will fund a study to examine whether public reporting laws are effective in encouraging hospitals to improve nurse staffing levels and improving patient outcomes. The project is coordinated by INQRI and the team is led by Matthew D. McHugh, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research. McHugh is also an RWJF Nurse Faculty Scholar.

The researchers will examine the impact of nurse staffing public reporting laws on staffing levels and patient outcomes in four states: Illinois, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont. They will look at the scope of nurse staffing public reporting laws, the process and context that supported their passage and implementation, the effects of the laws on registered nurse staffing levels, and the effects of the laws on patient mortality, readmissions, and failure-to-rescue.

“The studies funded through the Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative are establishing the links between nursing care and patient outcomes, and this new round of research takes that work one step further,” said INQRI Co-director Mary Naylor. “The National Research Agenda supports studies that will provide the evidence base for policies that will advance nursing, improve health care, and increase access to care.”

A news release on the new grant is here.

Nursing Economic$ Journal Feature: Leading Nurse Researcher Cites Importance of Transparency in Nurse Staffing Ratios

The September-October 2013 issue of Nursing Economic$ journal features the first in an insightful interview series with Linda H. Aiken PhD, FAAN, FRCN, RN, a member of the INQRI National Advisory Committee and a Research Manager supporting the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action.

“The Impact of Research on Staffing: an Interview with Linda Aiken” covers numerous areas of nurse staffing, including the viability of public reporting as an alternative to legislatively-mandated nurse staffing ratios.

“If we had more transparent information on what staffing levels are at hospitals, consumers and nurses could exercise more informed choices in selecting a hospital for care or employment,” Aiken told NursingEconomic$. “Also, easily accessible information on staffing would expose hospitals with particularly poor staffing to increased public and professional scrutiny which would be expected to motivate improvements.”

Aiken also praises the 2013 Safe Nurse Staffing Act, introduced in Congress in April 2013, which proposes public reporting of nurse staffing on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website.

Other topics covered in the interview include: variations of nurse staffing ratios across the country; inadequate staffing at minority hospitals; the impact of healthcare reform on nurse staffing; and addressing work environment issues. The second part of Aiken’s interview will be featured in the November/December 2013 issue of Nursing Economic$.

Nurse Staffing Mandates Debated at Hospitals

Over the weekend, Ben Sutherly, staff writer for the Dayton Daily News, reported on the different viewpoints hospital administrators and nurses have on nurse staffing mandates in the state of Ohio and around the country. Mr. Sutherly cites the work of renowned nursing workforce scholar and INQRI NAC member, Linda Aiken, to support the argument that nurse staffing levels should be mandated at the state level. Dr. Aiken's research found that there would be 14% fewer surgical deaths in Pennsylvania if the state were to adopt nurse staffing mandates that are similar to those in California, the only state that has mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. However, Mr. Sutherly also presents the case for hospitals as they argue that the quality of the health care workforce is much more important than having a minimum nurse-to-patient ratio in order to provide the highest quality of care.

Click here to read the whole article.

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