NOW FOR AN ORIGINAL PAPER ASSIGNMENT:Assignment: Importance of Nursing

Cavendish described a decrease in symptoms, based on the Nursing Outcomes Classification Symptom Severity Indicators, following the intervention. Symptom intensity decreased 6.25%, symptom persistence decreased 4.69%, symptom frequency decreased 6.25%, and associated discomfort decreased 41.06% (p. 272). Similar studies are needed to provide evidence that specific nursing interventions improve patient outcomes.

Enhanced Data Collection to Evaluate Nursing Care Outcomes

The use of a standardized language to record nursing care can provide the consistency necessary to compare the quality of outcomes for various nursing interventions across settings.The use of a standardized language to record nursing care can provide the consistency necessary to compare the quality of outcomes for various nursing interventions across settings. As stated earlier, more organizations are moving to electronic documentation (ED) and electronic health records. When the nursing care data stored in these computer systems are in a standardized nursing language, large local, state, and national data repositories can be constructed that will facilitate benchmarking with other hospitals and settings that provide nursing care. The National Quality Forum (NQF) (NQF, 2006), is in the process of developing national standards for the measurement and reporting of health care performance data. The Nursing Care Measures Project is one of the 24 projects on which the NQF is developing consensus-based, national standards to use as mechanisms for quality improvement and measurement initiatives to improve American health care. The NQF has stated, “Given the importance of nursing care, the absence of standardized nursing care performance measures is a major void in healthcare quality assurance and work system performance”(NQF, May 2003, p. 1).

Patient outcomes are also related to the uniqueness of the individual, the care given by other health care professionals, and the environment in which the care is provided. The American Nurses Association’s National Center for Nursing Quality (NCNQ) maintains a database called the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators™ (NDNQI)® (American Nurses Association, 2006a). This database collects nurse-sensitive and unit-specific indicators from health care organizations, compares this data with organizations of similar size having similar units, and sends the comparison findings back to the participating organization. This activity facilitates longitudinal benchmarking as the database has been ongoing since the early 1990’s (National Database, 2004).

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