The Development of Nursing-sensitive Indicators: A Critical Discussion

Overview

Journal Int J Nurs Stud Adv

Specialty Nursing

Date 2024 Aug 27

PMID 39188551

Authors

Edel Gormley

Michael Connolly

Mary Ryder

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Discussion Arguments: In a science-based profession, nurses must continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their care. However, data on what constitutes nursing care in practice and the delivery process is lacking. Insufficient evidence on how nurses contribute to patient care hampers the evaluation of nursing practice.We discuss nursing-sensitive indicators, their origins, current applications, and challenges related to their use in evaluating the quality of nursing care. We analyse nursing-sensitive indicators in the context of criticisms levelled at the profession related to the lack of evidence to support their value in the larger healthcare environment.

Conclusions: We have a disjointed approach to evaluating nursing care. Current systems designed to monitor nursing care, such as metrics and data sets, are not adequate or effective for comprehensively evaluating nursing care, considering the fundamentals and values of the nursing profession.

Citing Articles

Quality care for children and young people with complex and integrated care needs: A discussion on nursing-sensitive indicators.

Sheehan R, Ryder M, Brenner M Int J Nurs Stud Adv. 2024; 8:100275.

PMID: 39698063 PMC: 11653161. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnsa.2024.100275.

References

Sim J, Crookes P, Walsh K, Halcomb E . Measuring the outcomes of nursing practice: A Delphi study. J Clin Nurs. 2017; 27(1-2):e368-e378. DOI: 10.1111/jocn.13971. View

White E, Aiken L, McHugh M . Registered Nurse Burnout, Job Dissatisfaction, and Missed Care in Nursing Homes. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2019; 67(10):2065-2071. PMC: 6800779. DOI: 10.1111/jgs.16051. View

Wolf K . Critical perspectives on nursing as bodywork. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 2014; 37(2):147-60. DOI: 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000028. View

Richardson C, Percy M, Hughes J . Nursing therapeutics: Teaching student nurses care, compassion and empathy. Nurse Educ Today. 2015; 35(5):e1-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2015.01.016. View

Moran S, Bailey M, Doody O . An integrative review to identify how nurses practicing in inpatient specialist palliative care units uphold the values of nursing. BMC Palliat Care. 2021; 20(1):111. PMC: 8285858. DOI: 10.1186/s12904-021-00810-6. View

Kitson A . The Fundamentals of Care Framework as a Point-of-Care Nursing Theory. Nurs Res. 2018; 67(2):99-107. DOI: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000271. View

Heslop L, Lu S, Xu X . Nursing-sensitive indicators: a concept analysis. J Adv Nurs. 2014; 70(11):2469-82. PMC: 4232854. DOI: 10.1111/jan.12503. View

Gallagher R, Rowell P . Claiming the future of nursing through nursing-sensitive quality indicators. Nurs Adm Q. 2003; 27(4):273-84. DOI: 10.1097/00006216-200310000-00004. View

Conroy T, Pinero de Plaza M, Mudd A, Mitchell M, Kitson A . Measuring fundamental care using complexity science: A descriptive case study of a methodological innovation. J Clin Nurs. 2021; 32(11-12):2903-2912. DOI: 10.1111/jocn.15905. View

10.

Stalpers D, Kieft R, Van der Linden D, Kaljouw M, Schuurmans M . Concordance between nurse-reported quality of care and quality of care as publicly reported by nurse-sensitive indicators. BMC Health Serv Res. 2016; 16:120. PMC: 4823846. DOI: 10.1186/s12913-016-1372-z. View

11.

Griffiths P, Recio-Saucedo A, DallOra C, Briggs J, Maruotti A, Meredith P . The association between nurse staffing and omissions in nursing care: A systematic review. J Adv Nurs. 2018; 74(7):1474-1487. PMC: 6033178. DOI: 10.1111/jan.13564. View

12.

Feo R, Frensham L, Conroy T, Kitson A . "It's just common sense": Preconceptions and myths regarding fundamental care. Nurse Educ Pract. 2019; 36:82-84. DOI: 10.1016/j.nepr.2019.03.006. View

13.

Dubois C, DAmour D, Pomey M, Girard F, Brault I . Conceptualizing performance of nursing care as a prerequisite for better measurement: a systematic and interpretive review. BMC Nurs. 2013; 12:7. PMC: 3600011. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6955-12-7. View

14.

Alexander G . Nursing sensitive databases: their existence, challenges, and importance. Med Care Res Rev. 2007; 64(2 Suppl):44S-63S. DOI: 10.1177/1077558707299244. View

15.

Jackson D, Kozlowska O . Fundamental care-the quest for evidence. J Clin Nurs. 2018; 27(11-12):2177-2178. DOI: 10.1111/jocn.14382. View

16.

Carr D, Benoit R . The role of interventional patient hygiene in improving clinical and economic outcomes. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2009; 22(2):74-8. DOI: 10.1097/01.ASW.0000345281.97908.24. View

17.

Kitson A, Carr D, Conroy T, Feo R, Gronkjaer M, Huisman-de Waal G . Speaking Up for Fundamental Care: the ILC Aalborg Statement. BMJ Open. 2019; 9(12):e033077. PMC: 6924742. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033077. View

18.

Afaneh T, Abu-Moghli F, Ahmad M . Nursing-sensitive indicators: a concept analysis. Nurs Manag (Harrow). 2021; 28(3):28-33. DOI: 10.7748/nm.2021.e1982. View

19.

Ryder M, Mannion T, Furlong E, ODonoghue E, Travers B, Connolly M . Exploring heart failure nurse practitioner outcome measures: a scoping review. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2024; 23(4):337-347. DOI: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvad108. View

20.

Mainz H, Odgaard L, Kristensen P . Nursing representatives in clinical quality databases and the presence of nursing-sensitive indicators of fundamental nursing care. J Adv Nurs. 2022; 79(3):1129-1138. DOI: 10.1111/jan.15400. View