Pathway to better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes in home care

Unlike the Magnet Recognition Program, the newer Pathway to Excellence Program designed to improve work environments in a broader range of organizations has not yet been the focus of substantial research.

The purpose of the study was to examine the association of Pathway to Excellence Program Standards with better patient care quality and workforce outcomes in home care.

Cross-sectional survey of registered nurses yielded informants from 871 home care agencies in the United States. Variables representing each of the 12 Pathway Standards were entered into logistic regression models to determine associations with better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes.

All Pathway Standards are strongly and significantly associated with better patient care and better workforce outcomes. Home care agencies with better-rated professional work environments consistently had better patient care and nurse workforce outcomes.

This study validates the Pathway to Excellence Standards as important to patient care quality and nursing workforce outcomes in home care.