Evaluating advanced practice nursing care through use of a heuristic framework

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Primary care systems analysis
• Health services research

Background:

• Existing quality of care frameworks require modification for comprehensive primary care evaluation.
• Standardized data elements are crucial for monitoring and enhancing healthcare delivery.
• The development of nurse-sensitive patient outcomes necessitates a structured approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a modified quality of care framework tailored for primary care.
• To identify and organize characteristics within a 12-cell structure for evaluating primary care systems.
• To establish a systematic method for monitoring and improving quality of care.

Main Methods:

• Modification and blending of existing quality of care models.
• Development of a 12-cell conceptual framework labeled 'structure/inputs'.
• Specification of characteristics within each cell to guide evaluation.

Main Results:

• A novel, structured quality of care framework was developed.
• The framework systematically organizes standardized data elements for primary care.
• The framework's 12 cells provide guidance for evaluating specific areas of interest.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework offers a systematic approach to organizing data for quality of care monitoring.
• This conceptual framework is valuable for research, policy development, and defining nurse-sensitive patient outcomes.
• Application of this framework can lead to significant improvements in primary care quality.