The Relationship Between Nursing Quality and Patient Experience in Acute Care Settings

The aim of this study is to assess relationships between nursing quality measures and patient experience.

This cross-sectional study examines a 2018 six-state sample of 620 acute care hospitals in the United States, to create a pre-COVID-19 pandemic baseline for the associations between nursing quality and patient experience. Variables include 4 nurse-sensitive quality outcome measures, nursing communication (a process measure), and patient experience scores.

Of the nurse sensitive quality indicators included, only central line-associated bloodstream infections were significantly (negatively) but weakly associated with overall hospital rating. Nursing communication was significantly (positively) and strongly correlated to overall hospital rating.

Patient experience is a valuable measure of health care quality, and the intersection of nursing quality and patient experience requires further review. The nurse-sensitive quality outcome measures included in this study are not associated with patient experience scores. The significance of nursing communication, a process measure, suggests an opportunity exists to explore and quantify acute care nursing quality outside the traditional outcome metrics.