Understanding Patient Safety and Quality Outcome Data

Quality Dashboards in Hospital Settings: A Systematic Review With Implications for Nurses

BACKGROUND

Dashboards visually display quality and safety data to aid nurses in making informed decisions.

PURPOSE

This systematic review evaluated quality improvement (QI) dashboard characteristics associated with interventions to improve patient outcomes and positive end-user evaluation.

METHODS

Literature was searched from 2012 to 2022 in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar.

RESULTS

Sixteen articles were included. Varied dashboard characteristics were noted, with mixed patient outcomes and end-user responses. Graphs and tabular presentations were associated with improved patient outcomes, whereas graphs were associated with end-user satisfaction. Benchmarks were noted with improved patient outcomes but not end-user satisfaction. Interactive dashboards were important for end users and improved patient outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Nurses can find dashboards helpful in guiding QI projects. Dashboards may include graphs and/or tables, benchmarks, and interactivity but should be useful, usable, and aligned to unit needs. Future research should focus on the use of quality dashboards in nursing practice.

A Change in Focus: Shifting From Treatment to Prevention of Perioperative Pressure Injuries

Hospital-acquired pressure injuries are a patient safety concern and can be costly for health care organizations. A multidisciplinary team of senior leaders, managers, nurses, and educators from departments that care for perioperative patients created an evidence-based perioperative pressure injury prevention bundle that includes skin and risk assessments, visual and electronic health record cues, prophylactic protection of at-risk skin, communication among providers and leaders regarding patient risk and injury throughout hospitalization, staff member education, compliance audits, root cause analyses, and wound care team follow-up. The prevention bundle resulted in a 50% reduction in perioperative pressure injuries the first calendar year after implementation and a zero-incidence rate for perioperative pressure injuries for at least a two-year period. This article discusses hospital-acquired pressure injuries related to the perioperative setting and outlines the full perioperative pressure injury prevention bundle.