The nursing quality indicator framework tool

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a nursing quality indicator (NQI) framework and provide a comprehensive reporting mechanism for nursing care.

Design/methodology/approach

Mixed method, including patient records audit, patient experience questionnaire, nurse self-report questionnaire and collecting ward-level information. The sample was 53 patients and 22 nurses.

Findings

Outputs from the NQI framework domains offer a more comprehensive understanding of nursing quality compared to when domains are analysed separately. The NQI framework also provides a more inclusive mechanism for assuring nursing care.

Research limitations/implications

Sample size was limited to 53 English-speaking patients who consented to participating in the study.

Originality/value

One design strength was the ability to describe individual patient care across the four domains and subsequently show relationships between nursing knowledge, nursing interventions and patient outcomes/experiences. Additionally, corroborated information from three sources (documentation review, patient and nurse responses) strengthened the conclusion that the NQI framework could provide more comprehensive assurances on nursing quality and identify care improvements.

Citation

Connolly, D. and Wright, F. (2017), "The nursing quality indicator framework tool", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 30 No. 7, pp. 603-616. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHCQA-08-2016-0113