County and state quality data to inform expanded roles for nursing's future

In this department, Dr Newhouse highlights hot topics in nursing outcomes, research, and evidence-based practice relevant to the nurse administrator. The goal is to discuss the practical implications for nurse leaders in diverse healthcare settings. Content includes evidence-based projects and decision making, locating measurement tools for quality improvement and safety projects, using outcome measures to evaluate quality, practice implications of administrative research, and exemplars of projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to organizational problems. In this article, the author describes sources to identify major issues in healthcare quality, nursing's role in addressing quality issues, and Web-based resources for county and state quality data to guide nurses' future engagement.