Nursing Sensitive Measures Scorecard Improves Outcomes

Purpose:
This presentation discusses a nursing scorecard developed to display hospital and unit level nursing performance. Participation in NDNQI allows us to trend our progress and benchmark with similar institutions. Scorecard implemetation resulted in improvements and sustainability among the key metrics.

Significance:
Outcome measures are increasingly important to quantify nursing sensitive outcomes for patients/families and organizations. Our recently implemented nursing scorecard has improved performance and visibility of nursing across our enterprise.

Strategy and Implementation:
In response to changing healthcare environments and the availability of NDNQI nursing sensitive outcome measures we implemented a nursing balanced scorecard. Our scorecard combines financial performance with our performance on nursing sensitive measures, patient/family satisfaction, and measures of staff satisfaction/growth. Incorporating 16 key measures, the scorecard is updated monthly with drill down from the organization to the unit level. All measures are provided together through one access point. Processes that led to poorer or improved scores are updated monthly and available within the scorecard. Since implementation, improvement activities have been targeted and in many areas sustained. Transparency and accessibility of the scorecard led to sharing best practices across patient care areas. The scorecard served as a catalyst to realign initiatives with the strategic plan and increase execution of the plan throughout nursing services.

Evaluation:
Evaluation: Structural- the scorecard is aligned with the organization's scorecard. Process- Each month an implementation process evaluation is sent to indicator leaders. Leaders meet to further refine processes. Outcomes- Indicator metrics are at or above targets in all areas

Implications for Practice:
Shared governance (SG)staff councils develop improvement implementation plans from scorecard results. Ultimately the outcome that is most visible is the impact of nursing care on the quality and safety of patient care and patient/family satisfaction.