Nursing documentation: a program to promote and sustain improvement

Pertinent, timely, and accurate nursing documentation promotes consistency in client care and effective communication among nurses and other health team members. Alternative documentation systems, continuing education efforts, and ongoing quality management activities are necessary to ensure that standards of record keeping are maintained. A pilot project using such methods was conducted on two hospital units to promote adherence to a specific documentation system. Education was integrated with peer auditing and follow-up over a 6-month period. The nursing staff significantly improved the quality of their documentation and sustained this improvement over time. Staff's knowledge about documentation improved significantly. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant decrease in documentation errors. The integration of peer auditing and continuing education enabled nurses to attain and maintain specific documentation standards.