Beyond the acute care setting: community-based nonacute care nursing-sensitive indicators

Area of Science:

• Nursing research
• Healthcare quality improvement
• Health policy

Background:

• Concerns regarding hospital restructuring's impact on patient care prompted the American Nurses Association (ANA) to launch Nursing's Safety & Quality Initiative in 1994.
• The Initiative aimed to assess the effects of healthcare system changes on patient outcomes.
• It encompasses research, education, and policy/legislation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on advancements within the research arm of the Initiative.
• Focus on identifying nursing-sensitive indicators specific to community-based nonacute care settings.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent developments in the research component of Nursing's Safety & Quality Initiative.
• Identification of potential nursing-sensitive indicators relevant to non-hospital care environments.

Main Results:

• Progress has been made in the research domain of the Initiative.
• Specific nursing-sensitive indicators for community-based nonacute care are being identified.

Conclusions:

• The ongoing research within the Initiative is crucial for understanding and improving patient care quality.
• Developing indicators for nonacute care settings is a key step in extending quality measurement beyond hospitals.