1.  Describe implications for identifying, benchmarking and generalizing nursing quality indicators in pediatric inpatient and ambulatory settings.

2.  Discuss ways in which the use of NDNQI in pediatric settings has been beneficial.

3.  Suggest strategic priorities for NDNQI in relation to maternal and child health quality indicators.

Purpose: This leadership session will provide a forum for learning about the special opportunities and challenges related to measuring nursing quality in pediatric and other maternal and child health settings.

The desired outcomes of the session will be a) increased awareness of the need for addressing pediatric inpatient and ambulatory services using NDNQI indicators  b) provide specific examples of beneficial application of NDNQI in pediatric settings as well as c) specific suggestions concerning specific ways those specific needs might be addressed.

Description of how relevant and current knowledge will be presented:

The session will be co-conducted by nurse leaders in the use of nursing quality indicators for assurance of quality outcomes in pediatric settings and a faculty researcher with experience in measuring the effect of nursing interventions on patient outcomes in maternal and child health settings.  The nurse leaders will present specific examples of nurse-sensitive indicators relating to their organization’s Magnet journey and to quality improvement initiatives in their pediatric setting.  In both situations, benchmarking pediatric quality indicators has been challenging, but unique strategies have been developed to overcome those challenges.

The faculty researcher will present methodological challenges in measuring the outcomes of nursing interventions in “specialty areas” such as maternal and child health. One such challenge nurse researchers face in such settings is the generalizability of findings. Suggestions for meeting these challenges will also be presented.

Summary of the presentation: The content provided will include

·        Overview of Quality Improvement efforts in pediatric inpatient and ambulatory settings.

• Description of Magnet application requirements for reporting nursing quality measures and benchmarking data in specialty environments such as pediatrics
• Examining the assumption that maternal and child health care settings are unique and require special indicators and/or measures of nursing quality
• Examination of the generalizability of measures of the effect of nursing interventions on quality improvement in maternal and child health settings