The clinical nurse leader: a catalyst for improving quality and patient safety

The clinical nurse leader (CNL) is a new nursing role introduced by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). This paper describes its potential impact in practice.

Significant pressures are being placed on health care delivery systems to improve patient care outcomes and lower costs in an environment of diminishing resources.

A naturalistic approach is used to evaluate the impact the CNL has had on outcomes of care. Case studies describe the CNL implementation experiences at three different practice settings within the same geographic region.

Cost savings, including improvement on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) core measures, are realized quickly in settings where the CNL role has been integrated into the care delivery model.

With the growing calls for improved outcomes and more cost-effective care, the CNL role provides an opportunity for nursing to lead innovation by maximizing health care quality while minimizing costs.

Nursing is in a unique position to address problems that plague the nation's health system. The CNL represents an exciting and promising opportunity for nursing to take a leadership role, in collaboration with multiple practice partners, and implement quality improvement and patient safety initiatives across all health care settings.