Purpose: To describe how quality indicators/NDNQI data have been used by staff at the bedside to improve patient care quality and safety in a comprehensive cancer center as part of Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB), an Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) project in partnership with The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and a “Reducing Harm from Falls” grant funded by RWJF.

How the Session Will Provide Relevant/Current Knowledge:  The presenter will provide background information on the institution, TCAB project, quality indicators and processes used by frontline nursing staff to make improvements in the quality of patient care and the results achieved. Slides will be used to provide key points and to display data and results associated with focused improvement efforts.

Summary of Presentation:  The presentation will provide a description of the TCAB project and Reducing Harm from Falls grant and how NDNQI data has become a powerful tool for front line staff working to identify and test changes in practice focused on improving patient care quality. Specific examples of uses of data to support efforts to reduce patient falls and harm from falls will be shared. The processes utilized and results of these initiatives will be discussed. Additional uses of quality indicators to inform other improvement efforts will also be described. The importance of having quality indicators/NDNQI data as a tool for nurse leaders and their staff and the synergy that can be gained across organizational initiatives and projects will be highlighted.                                                                                                                                           

Implications for Practice: Nursing staff at the bedside must be directly involved in initiatives directed at improving the quality of patient care. To be active participants in the process, timely, relevant data must be made available to staff by their nurse leader(s). Quality indicators/NDNQI reports have become powerful tools for nursing staff in critically thinking about and effecting change in a comprehensive cancer center. These efforts have improved teamwork, increased involvement and affirmed the power of the nurse at the bedside to make changes that improve the quality of care for patients and their families.