Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders - a model for optimising the geriatric nursing practice environment

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• A positive nurse practice environment (NPE) is a system-level intervention promoting quality and patient safety.
• Geriatric-specific NPEs are linked to improved perceptions of geriatric care quality and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the relationship between a positive NPE and the implementation of evidence-based practices.
• To describe how Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program components foster a positive geriatric nursing practice environment.

Main Methods:

• Selective critical analysis of descriptive and empirical literature.
• Examined geriatric models and NICHE program components supporting evidence-based geriatric knowledge integration.

Main Results:

• NICHE has been highly successful in hospital recruitment and developing comprehensive geriatric programming.
• NICHE specifically addresses nursing staff perceptions of the geriatric care environment.

Conclusions:

• Quality geriatric care necessitates a supportive NPE where hospital structures and processes meet older adults' specific needs.
• NICHE serves as a vital resource and networking catalyst for implementing evidence-based geriatric care models globally.