An observational study: associations between nurse-reported hospital characteristics and estimated 30-day survival probabilities

Nursing categories' perceptions of the practice environment and quality of care in North West Province: a cross-sectional survey design

BACKGROUND

There is a substantial amount of literature on the perception of the practice environment and quality of care as perceived by registered nurses and community services nurses in South Africa and worldwide, but there is little to no research that could be found regarding other categories of nurses, and how these perceptions differ between the different categories. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe the different nursing categories' perceptions of the practice environment and quality of care and the association between the variables.

METHODS

This study applied a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected in April 2021 in the public sector of the North West Province. Multiphase sampling was applied to all categories of nurses who worked in an in-patient unit in the selected hospital for at least 3 months (n = 236).

RESULTS

All nursing categories perceived the practice environment as negative, regarding nurse participation in hospital affairs; nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses and staffing and resource adequacy. Perceived quality of care and patient safety items were perceived as neutral and good. However, in all instances, the perceptions of community service nurses and registered nurses were most negative, and enrolled nurse assistants most positive. Adverse events towards patients and nurses were perceived to only occur a few times a year. Overall, nurse perceptions of quality of care and patient safety were most correlated with the subscale of nurse foundations of quality of care and nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses. Adverse events towards patients were most correlated with the collegial nurse-physician relationship subscale, while adverse events towards nurses were correlated with the foundations of quality of care subscale.

CONCLUSION

Improving the practice environment, especially regarding the subscale nurse foundations of quality of care and nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses, is associated with improved quality of care. Nurses with higher qualifications, registered nurses and community service nurses rated quality of care lower than other categories of nurses, contributing to literature that higher qualified staff are more competent to assess the practice environment and quality of care.

Nurse perceptions of practice environment, quality of care and patient safety across four hospital levels within the public health sector of South Africa

Improving the practice environment, quality of care and patient safety are global health priorities. In South Africa, quality of care and patient safety are among the top goals of the National Department of Health; nevertheless, empirical data regarding the condition of the nursing practice environment, quality of care and patient safety in public hospitals is lacking.AimThis study examined nurses' perceptions of the practice environment, quality of care and patient safety across four hospital levels (central, tertiary, provincial and district) within the public health sector of South Africa.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional survey design. We used multi-phase sampling to recruit all categories of nursing staff from central (n = 408), tertiary (n = 254), provincial (n = 401) and district (n = 244 [large n = 81; medium n = 83 and small n = 80]) public hospitals in all nine provinces of South Africa. After ethical approval, a self-reported questionnaire with subscales on the practice environment, quality of care and patient safety was administered. Data was collected from April 2021 to June 2022, with a response rate of 43.1%. ANOVA type Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM) was used to present the differences in nurses' perceptions across four hospital levels.ResultsNurses rated the overall practice environment as poor (M = 2.46; SD = 0.65), especially with regard to the subscales of nurse participation in hospital affairs (M = 2.22; SD = 0.76), staffing and resource adequacy (M = 2.23; SD = 0.80), and nurse leadership, management, and support of nurses (M = 2.39; SD = 0.81). One-fifth (19.59%; n = 248) of nurses rated the overall grade of patient safety in their units as poor or failing, and more than one third (38.45%; n = 486) reported that the quality of care delivered to patient was fair or poor. Statistical and practical significant results indicated that central hospitals most often presented more positive perceptions of the practice environment, quality of care and patient safety, while small district hospitals often presented the most negative. The practice environment was most highly correlated with quality of care and patient safety outcomes.ConclusionThere is a need to strengthen compliance with existing policies that enhance quality of care and patient safety. This includes the need to create positive practice environments in all public hospitals, but with an increased focus on smaller hospital settings.

[Pathway Analysis on the Effects of Nursing Informatics Competency, Nursing Care Left Undone, and Nurse Reported Quality of Care on Nursing Productivity among Clinical Nurses]

PURPOSE

Nursing informatics competency is used to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practices and professional and regulatory standards. This study examined the relationship between nursing informatics competency (NIC), nursing care left undone, and nurse reported quality of care (NQoC) and nursing productivity. A path model for their effects on nursing productivity among clinical nurses was also established.

METHODS

Data were collected using structured questionnaires answered by 192 nurses working in a tertiary hospital located in J city, Korea, and analyzed using SPSS/WIN 23.0 and AMOS 21.0 program.

RESULTS

The fit indices of the alternative path model satisfied recommended levels χ² = .11 (p = .741), normed χ² (χ²/df) = .11, SRMR = .01, RMSEA = .00, GFI = 1.00, NFI = 1.00, AIC = 18.11. Among the variables, NIC (β = .44, p < .001), NQoC (β = .35, p < .001) had a direct effect on nursing productivity. Due to the mediating effect of NQoC on the relationship between NIC and nursing productivity, the effect size was .14 (95% CI .08~.24). Meanwhile, nursing care left undone through NQoC in the relationship between NIC and nursing productivity, has a significant mediation effect (estimate .01, 95% CI .00~.03). The explanatory power of variables was 44.0%.

CONCLUSION

Education and training for enhancing NIC should be provided to improve nursing productivity, quality of care and to reduce missed nursing care. Furthermore, monitoring the quality of nursing care and using it as a productivity index is essential.

Predictors of Nurse-Reported Quality of Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Korea

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate predictors of nurse-reported quality of care (NQoC) in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Korea.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study participants were 217 NICU nurses working in four tertiary general hospitals and three general hospitals across South Korea. Data were collected in February 2019, when a survey was performed to measure nurse-related characteristics, intent to leave, job satisfaction, and NQoC. Collected data were analyzed using t-test, chi-square test, and hierarchical logistic regression on the SPSS WIN 26.0 program.

RESULTS

Approximately 53% of NICU nurses perceived good quality of care. NICU work experience of less than 2 years and 2 to 4 years were associated with increased odds of good NQoC in all regression models. Perceived adequacy of nurse staffing level was significantly associated with increased odds of good NQoC in model 2 (OR 4.90, 95% CI: 1.75-13.70), model 3 (OR 5.01, 95% CI: 1.73-14.50), and model 4 (OR 3.96, 95% CI: 1.29-12.12). Moreover, in model 3, intent to leave was associated with decreased odds of good NQoC (OR 0.83, 95% CI: 0.21-0.71), and job satisfaction was associated with increased odds of good NQoC (OR 5.41, 95% CI: 2.74-10.67) in model 4.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' NICU work experience, adequate nurse staffing level, no intent to leave, and job satisfaction were predictors of good NQoC among NICU nurses.

PRACTICE IMPLICATION

Improvement of nurse staffing levels and job satisfaction is a promising strategy to achieve good quality of care in NICUs.

Measuring perceived adequacy of staffing to incorporate nurses' judgement into hospital capacity management: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Matching demand and supply in nursing work continues to generate debate. Current approaches focus on objective measures, such as nurses per occupied bed or patient classification. However, staff numbers do not tell the whole staffing story. The subjective measure of nurses' perceived adequacy of staffing (PAS) has the potential to enhance nurse staffing methods in a way that goes beyond traditional workload measurement or workforce planning methods.

OBJECTIVES

To detect outcomes associated with nurses' PAS and the factors that influence PAS and to review the psychometric properties of instruments used to measure PAS in a hospital setting.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A scoping review was performed to identify outcomes associated with PAS, factors influencing PAS and instruments measuring PAS. A search of PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Business Source Complete and Embase databases identified 2609 potentially relevant articles. Data were independently extracted, analysed and synthesised. The quality of studies describing influencing factors or outcomes of PAS and psychometric properties of instruments measuring PAS were assessed following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality appraisal checklist and the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments guidelines.

RESULTS

Sixty-three studies were included, describing 60 outcomes of PAS, 79 factors influencing PAS and 21 instruments measuring PAS. In general, positive PAS was related to positive outcomes for the patient, nurse and organisation, supporting the relevance of PAS as a staffing measure. We identified a variety of factors that influence PAS, including demand for care, nurse supply and organisation of care delivery. Associations between these factors and PAS were inconsistent. The quality of studies investigating the development and evaluation of instruments measuring PAS was moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

Measuring the PAS may enhance nurse staffing methods in a hospital setting. Further work is needed to refine and psychometrically evaluate instruments for measuring PAS.

Quality of care and job satisfaction in a Hospital Trust before and after The Coordination Reform in Norway

Aims

To study the impact of organizational changes on the quality of health services and on health professionals' job satisfaction in specialist health services.

Design

A repeated cross‐sectional study, including 5 years before (2007) and 5 years after (2017) the introduction of The Coordination Reform in Norway.

Methods

Nurses and auxiliary nurses working in medical wards at three hospitals evaluated the quality of health services and various aspects of their working conditions, using questionnaires: Quality of Patient Care and the Job Satisfaction Scale.

Results

In 2017, nurses and auxiliary nurses had longer work experience compared with 2007. Nurses and auxiliary nurses also worked full hours. There was no significant change over time in total Quality of Patient Care score or in any of the sub‐scores. There was no significant change in total Job Satisfaction Scale score over time, but there was a significant decline in the sub‐score for physical working conditions.

Nursing Work Environment and Patient Outcomes in a Hospital Context: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the relationship between nursing work environment (NWE) and patient outcomes and to identify gaps in the literature.

BACKGROUND

There was an increased awareness of the impact of NWE on patient outcomes, in particular, related to safety and quality of care.

METHOD

Scoping review was conducted. Studies published between 2002 and the 1st quarter of 2018 were included to provide an overview of the research on the associations between NWE and patient outcomes.

RESULTS

Of 2238 titles and abstracts identified, 35 studies were included, and publication ranged from 2005 to 2018. All studies included were observational, 4 had a longitudinal design, and the remaining studies were cross-sectional. Evidence indicates that better NWE decreases the risk of patient adverse events and increases the quality of care.

CONCLUSIONS

The associations between different dimensions of NWE and patient outcomes should be explored.

Associations between work satisfaction, engagement and 7-day patient mortality: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVE

This study examines the association between profession-specific work environments and the 7-day mortality of patients admitted to these units with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke and hip fracture.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study combining patient mortality data extracted from the South-Eastern Norway Health Region, and the work environment scores at the hospital ward levels. A case-mix adjustment model was developed for the comparison between hospital wards.

SETTING

Fifty-six patient wards in 20 hospitals administered by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority.

PARTICIPANTS

In total, 46 026 patients admitted to hospitals with AMI, stroke and hip fracture, and supported by 8800 survey responses from physicians, nurses and managers over a 3-year period (2010-2012).

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome measures were the associations between the relative mortality rate for patients admitted with AMI, stroke and hip fractures and the profession-specific (ie, nurses, physicians, middle managers) mean scores on the 19 organisational factors in a validated cross sectional, staff survey conducted annually in Norway. The secondary outcome measures were the mean scores with SD on the organisational factors in the staff survey reported by each profession.

RESULTS

The Nurse workload (beta 0.019 (95% CI0.009-0.028)) and middle manager engagement (beta 0.024 (95% CI0.010-0.037)) levels were associated with a case-mix adjusted 7-day patient mortality rates. There was no significant association between physician work environment scores and patient mortality rates.

CONCLUSION

7-day mortality rates in hospital wards were negatively correlated with the nurse workload and manager engagement levels. A deeper understanding of the relationships between patient outcomes, organisational structure and their underlying cultural barriers is needed because they may provide a better understanding of the harm and death risks for patients due to organisational characteristics.

Evaluating the impact of organisational digital maturity on clinical outcomes in secondary care in England

All healthcare systems are increasingly reliant on health information technology to support the delivery of high-quality, efficient and safe care. Data on its effectiveness are however limited. We therefore sought to examine the impact of organisational digital maturity on clinical outcomes in secondary care within the English National Health Service. We conducted a retrospective analysis of routinely collected administrative data for 13,105,996 admissions across 136 hospitals in England from 2015 to 2016. Data from the 2016 NHS Clinical Digital Maturity Index were used to characterise organisational digital maturity. A multivariable regression model including 12 institutional covariates was utilised to examine the relationship between one measure of organisational digital maturity and five key clinical outcome measures. There was no significant relationship between organisational digital maturity and risk-adjusted 30-day mortality, 28-day readmission rates or complications of care. In multivariable analysis risk-adjusted long length of stay and harm-free care were significantly related to aspects of organisational digital maturity; digitally mature hospitals may not only deliver more harm-free care episodes but also may have a significantly increased risk of patients experiencing a long length of stay. Organisational digital maturity is to some extent related to selected clinical outcomes in secondary care in England. Digital maturity is, however, also strongly linked to other institutional factors that likely play a greater role in influencing clinical outcomes. There is a need to better understand how health IT impacts care delivery and supports other drivers of hospital quality.

Improving quality and safety of care in nursing homes by team support for strengths use: A survey study

Growing evidence suggests that workload has an adverse effect on quality of care and patient safety in nursing homes. A novel job resource that may improve quality of care and patient safety and alleviate the negative effect of workload in nursing homes is team support for strengths use. This refers to team members’ beliefs concerning the extent to which the team they work in actively supports them in applying their individual strengths at work. The objective was to investigate the relationships between workload, team support for strengths use, quality of care, and patient safety in nursing homes. We collected (cross-sectional) survey data from 497 caregivers from 74 teams in seven different nursing homes. The survey included measures on perceived workload, team support for strengths use, caregivers’ perception of the quality of care provided by the team and four safety incidents (i.e. fall incidents, medication errors, pressure ulcers, incidents of aggression). After controlling for age, team size, team tenure, organizational tenure, and nursing home, multilevel regression analyses (i.e. individual and team level) showed that perceived workload was not significantly related to perceived team-based quality of care and the frequency of safety incidents. Team support for strengths use was positively related to perceived team-based quality of care, negatively related to medication errors, but not significantly related to fall incidents, pressure ulcers, and aggression incidents. Finally, we found that perceived workload had a negative effect on perceived team-based quality of care when team support for strengths use is low and no significant effect on perceived team-based quality of care when team support for strengths use is high. This study provides promising evidence for a novel avenue for promoting team-based quality of care in nursing homes.

Translating staff experience into organisational improvement: the HEADS-UP stepped wedge, cluster controlled, non-randomised trial

OBJECTIVES

Frontline insights into care delivery correlate with patients' clinical outcomes. These outcomes might be improved through near-real time identification and mitigation of staff concerns. We evaluated the effects of a prospective frontline surveillance system on patient and team outcomes.

DESIGN

Prospective, stepped wedge, non-randomised, cluster controlled trial; prespecified per protocol analysis for high-fidelity intervention delivery.

PARTICIPANTS

Seven interdisciplinary medical ward teams from two hospitals in the UK.

INTERVENTION

Prospective clinical team surveillance (PCTS): structured daily interdisciplinary briefings to capture staff concerns, with organisational facilitation and feedback.

MAIN MEASURES

The primary outcome was excess length of stay (eLOS): an admission more than 24 hours above the local average for comparable patients. Secondary outcomes included safety and teamwork climates, and incident reporting. Mixed-effects models adjusted for time effects, age, comorbidity, palliation status and ward admissions. Safety and teamwork climates were measured with the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire. High-fidelity PCTS delivery comprised high engagement and high briefing frequency.

RESULTS

Implementation fidelity was variable, both in briefing frequency (median 80% working days/month, IQR 65%-90%) and engagement (median 70 issues/ward/month, IQR 34-113). 1714/6518 (26.3%) intervention admissions had eLOS versus 1279/4927 (26.0%) control admissions, an absolute risk increase of 0.3%. PCTS increased eLOS in the adjusted intention-to-treat model (OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.58, p=0.003). Conversely, high-fidelity PCTS reduced eLOS (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.94, p=0.006). High-fidelity PCTS also increased total, high-yield and non-nurse incident reports (incidence rate ratios 1.28-1.79, all p<0.002). Sustained PCTS significantly improved safety and teamwork climates over time.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted the potential benefits and pitfalls of ward-level interdisciplinary interventions. While these interventions can improve care delivery in complex, fluid environments, the manner of their implementation is paramount. Suboptimal implementation may have an unexpectedly negative impact on performance.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN 34806867 (http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN34806867).

Nurses' reports of staffing adequacy and surgical site infections: A cross-sectional multi-centre study

BACKGROUND

It is indicated that healthcare personnel's perceptions of the work environment may reflect the clinical outcomes for the patients they care for. However, the body of evidence is inconsistent when it comes to the association between work environment and surgical site infection.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study is to examine the associations between nurse-reported characteristics of the work environment and incidence of surgical site infections after total hip arthroplasty.

DESIGN AND SETTINGS

This is a cross-sectional multicentre study conducted in 16 Norwegian hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

Clinical outcomes for 2885 patients >18years that underwent total hip arthroplasty are combined with work environment descriptions from 320 nurses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We combine data about surgical site infections from The Norwegian Surveillance System for Antibiotic Consumption and Healthcare-Associated Infections and hospital characteristics such as overall survival probability (from administrative patient data) and nurses' reports of characteristics of the work environment (from a multicentre survey among nurses in Norwegian hospitals). Stepwise mixed-effects logistic regression model was performed to examine the associations between characteristics of the work environment and surgical site infections.

RESULTS

The incidence of surgical site infection among 2885 patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty in 16 Norwegian hospitals was 2.6%. Older age, elective procedures and high scores for staffing adequacy were associated with risk for surgical site infection. The association between high scores for adequate staffing and low risk for surgical site infections was present for patients that were admitted for an elective procedure, but not for patients admitted for a non-elective procedure.

CONCLUSION

Our results show that the risk of surgical site infections after elective total hip arthroplasty was lower in hospitals where nurses assessed staffing as adequate. Our findings add to the existing literature that examines the linkage between work environment and clinical outcomes.

The effect of structural empowerment of nurses on quality outcomes in hospitals: a scoping review

AIM

To assess and synthesise studies reporting direct associations between the structural empowerment of frontline nurses and quality outcomes, and to identify gaps in the current literature.

BACKGROUND

The empowerment of nurses seems essential for delivering high-quality patient care. Understanding the relationship between empowerment and quality outcomes would enable nurse managers to make informed choices on improving the quality of care.

METHODS

A scoping review examining the relationship between the structural empowerment of nurses and the quality, effectiveness, safety, efficiency and patient-centredness of care in hospitals. Searching in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Business Source Premier and Embase identified 672 potentially relevant articles. Independent selection, quality assessment, data extraction and analysis were completed.

RESULTS

Twelve cross-sectional studies originating from North America were included. These studies showed a variety of quality outcomes and statistics used. All studies reported positive associations between the structural empowerment of nurses, nurse assessed quality of care and patient safety climate, and work and unit effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses having access to empowering structures positively affects the quality outcomes, i.e. quality, effectiveness, safety, efficiency and patient-centredness of patient care in hospitals.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Nurse managers and leaders should ensure empowering work conditions for nurses in order to increase hospitals' quality of patient care.

Concordance between nurse-reported quality of care and quality of care as publicly reported by nurse-sensitive indicators

Background

Nurse-sensitive indicators and nurses’ satisfaction with the quality of care are two commonly used ways to measure quality of nursing care. However, little is known about the relationship between these kinds of measures. This study aimed to examine concordance between nurse-sensitive screening indicators and nurse-perceived quality of care.

Methods

To calculate a composite performance score for each of six Dutch non-university teaching hospitals, the percentage scores of the publicly reported nurse-sensitive indicators: screening of delirium, screening of malnutrition, and pain assessments, were averaged (2011). Nurse-perceived quality ratings were obtained from staff nurses working in the same hospitals by the Dutch Essentials of Magnetism II survey (2010). Concordance between the quality measures was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation.

Results

The mean screening performances ranged from 63 % to 93 % across the six hospitals. Nurse-perceived quality of care differed significantly between the hospitals, also after adjusting for nursing experience, educational level, and regularity of shifts. The hospitals with high-levels of nurse-perceived quality were also high-performing hospitals according to nurse-sensitive indicators. The relationship was true for high-performing as well as lower-performing hospitals, with strong correlations between the two quality measures (r_S = 0.943, p = 0.005).

Conclusions

Our findings showed that there is a significant positive association between objectively measured nurse-sensitive screening indicators and subjectively measured perception of quality. Moreover, the two indicators of quality of nursing care provide corresponding quality rankings. This implies that improving factors that are associated with nurses’ perception of what they believe to be quality of care may also lead to better screening processes. Although convergent validity seems to be established, we emphasize that different kinds of quality measures could be used to complement each other, because various stakeholders may assign different values to the quality of nursing care.

A stepped wedge, cluster controlled trial of an intervention to improve safety and quality on medical wards: the HEADS-UP study protocol

INTRODUCTION

The majority of preventable deaths in healthcare are due to errors on general wards. Staff perceptions of safety correlate with patient survival, but effectively translating ward teams' concerns into tangibly improved care remains problematic. The Hospital Event Analysis Describing Significant Unanticipated Problems (HEADS-UP) trial evaluates a structured, multidisciplinary team briefing, capturing safety threats and adverse events, with rapid feedback to clinicians and service managers. This is the first study to rigorously assess a simpler intervention for general medical units, alongside an implementation model applicable to routine clinical practice.

METHODS/ANALYSIS

7 wards from 2 hospitals will progressively incorporate the intervention into daily practice over 14 months. Wards will adopt HEADS-UP in a pragmatic sequence, guided by local clinical enthusiasm. Initial implementation will be facilitated by a research lead, but rapidly delegated to clinical teams. The primary outcome is excess length of stay (a surplus stay of 24 h or more, compared to peer institutions' Healthcare Resource Groups-predicted length of stay). Secondary outcomes are 30-day readmission or excess length of stay; in-hospital death or death/readmission within 30 days; healthcare-acquired infections; processes of escalation of care; use of traditional incident-reporting systems; and patient safety and teamwork climates. HEADS-UP will be analysed as a stepped wedge cluster controlled trial. With 7840 patients, using best and worst case predictions, the study would achieve between 75% and 100% power to detect a 2-14% absolute risk reduction in excess length of stay (two-sided p<0.05). Regression analysis will use generalised linear mixed models or generalised estimating equations, and a time-to-event regression model. A qualitative analysis will evaluate facilitators and barriers to HEADS-UP implementation and impact.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Participating institutions' Research and Governance departments approved the study. Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and at conference presentations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN34806867.

Use of Electronic Health-Related Datasets in Nursing and Health-Related Research

Datasets of gigabyte size are common in medical sciences. There is increasing consensus that significant untapped knowledge lies hidden in these large datasets. This review article aims to discuss Electronic Health-Related Datasets (EHRDs) in terms of types, features, advantages, limitations, and possible use in nursing and health-related research. Major scientific databases, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Scopus, were searched for studies or review articles regarding using EHRDs in research. A total number of 442 articles were located. After application of study inclusion criteria, 113 articles were included in the final review. EHRDs were categorized into Electronic Administrative Health-Related Datasets and Electronic Clinical Health-Related Datasets. Subcategories of each major category were identified. EHRDs are invaluable assets for nursing the health-related research. Advanced research skills such as using analytical softwares, advanced statistical procedures, dealing with missing data and missing variables will maximize the efficient utilization of EHRDs in research.