Development of outcome standards in critical care

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Outcomes Research

Background:

• Traditionally, nursing quality evaluation relied on structure and process measures.
• Professional nursing issues, accreditation standards, and reimbursement pressures are driving the adoption of outcome standards.
• Nurses significantly impact patient outcomes, necessitating outcome-based evaluation methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the outcome standards for nursing care of the critically ill published by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
• To recommend methods for utilizing these outcome standards in critical care settings.
• To outline a framework for developing unit-specific outcome standards.

Main Methods:

• Review and description of the AACN's "Outcome Standards for Nursing Care of the Critically Ill."
• Explanation of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) ten-step model for developing unit-specific outcome standards.
• Focus on a quality assurance framework for implementing outcome standards.

Main Results:

• The AACN has established a model for outcome standards in critical care nursing.
• The JCAHO provides a structured approach for unit-specific outcome standard development.
• Quality assurance frameworks are central to the application of outcome standards.

Conclusions:

• Outcome standards are essential for measuring and improving patient outcomes in nursing care.
• The AACN and JCAHO models offer practical guidance for developing and implementing nursing outcome standards.
• Integrating outcome standards enhances the evaluation of nursing care quality within a quality assurance framework.