Credentialing: the need for a national research agenda.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Credentialing, encompassing individual (e.g., nurse certification) and organizational (e.g., Magnet recognition) types, is widely used in healthcare.
• While hypothesized to improve care quality and patient outcomes, empirical evidence supporting credentialing's impact is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for a national research agenda focused on the effects of credentialing on healthcare outcomes.
• To propose a conceptual model linking credentials and standards to healthcare outcomes.
• To identify key research considerations including design, measurement, data collection, and analysis.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual modeling to illustrate the relationship between credentialing and outcomes.
• Discussion of potential research questions and methodological challenges.
• Review of existing literature and identification of research gaps.

Main Results:

• Limited empirical evidence currently validates the assumed positive impact of credentialing on healthcare quality and patient outcomes.
• A conceptual model is proposed to guide future research on credentialing's influence.
• Specific research questions and design considerations are outlined.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for a robust research agenda to evaluate the impact of nursing credentialing on healthcare quality and patient outcomes.
• Further research is essential to inform national policy and improve healthcare practices.
• Clarifying the relationship between credentialing and outcomes can significantly contribute to enhancing healthcare quality.