Nursing Sensitive Indicators Paper
Nursing-Sensitive Indicators
Efforts to define the quality of nursing practice began with Florence Nightingale, as she worked to improve hospital conditions and measure patient outcomes. (The Sentinel Watch, 2011)
Nursing-sensitive indicators are measures used to evaluate the quality of nursing care patients are receiving and to improve the quality of care given. Healthcare workers should be identifying the root causes of outcomes, regardless of the outcome. Tracking of these outcomes, recognizing the differences and similarities of each, and making changes to the care provided based on this information is evidenced-based practice. Nursing-sensitive indicators are categorized into one of three areas of nursing: structural, process, and outcome. Structural indicators include adequate staffing and education and experience levels of the nurses providing the care. Those with higher levels of education and experience are said to have better outcomes than those with less experience and/or education. Process …show more content…
Knowing the prevalence, one could consider the actions leading up to the good and bad outcomes, compare the two to determine contributing factors, then put together a plan of action to prevent bad outcomes from occurring. The data collected on the unit could then be shared throughout the hospital to have better outcomes and a greater patient satisfaction score overall. Through this process, healthcare workers could learn to prevent nursing-sensitive indicator, such as pressure ulcers, by turning or repositioning patients at least every two hours. Being proactive throughout the hospital will reduce the number of hospital acquired pressure ulcers and help the healing process of those that were present upon admission. This also aids in a better patient satisfaction
Efforts to define the quality of nursing practice began with Florence Nightingale, as she worked to improve hospital conditions and measure patient outcomes. (The Sentinel Watch, 2011)
Nursing-sensitive indicators are measures used to evaluate the quality of nursing care patients are receiving and to improve the quality of care given. Healthcare workers should be identifying the root causes of outcomes, regardless of the outcome. Tracking of these outcomes, recognizing the differences and similarities of each, and making changes to the care provided based on this information is evidenced-based practice. Nursing-sensitive indicators are categorized into one of three areas of nursing: structural, process, and outcome. Structural indicators include adequate staffing and education and experience levels of the nurses providing the care. Those with higher levels of education and experience are said to have better outcomes than those with less experience and/or education. Process …show more content…
Knowing the prevalence, one could consider the actions leading up to the good and bad outcomes, compare the two to determine contributing factors, then put together a plan of action to prevent bad outcomes from occurring. The data collected on the unit could then be shared throughout the hospital to have better outcomes and a greater patient satisfaction score overall. Through this process, healthcare workers could learn to prevent nursing-sensitive indicator, such as pressure ulcers, by turning or repositioning patients at least every two hours. Being proactive throughout the hospital will reduce the number of hospital acquired pressure ulcers and help the healing process of those that were present upon admission. This also aids in a better patient satisfaction