Patient outcome indicators in nursing quality assessment

Nursing -- Measuring Patient Outcomes

Measuring Patient Outcomes

Measuring patient outcomes is crucial to evaluating the quality of healthcare since achieving positive patient outcomes is the most fundamental of all goals of healthcare in general (Hamric, Spross, & Hanson, 2009; Taylor, Lillis, & LeMone, 2008). In principle, patient outcome indicators should include seven objective elements or characteristics, namely: (1) they should be based on precise agreed definitions; (2) they should be sufficiently specific and sensitive to eliminate false positive and false negative findings; (3) they must be valid and reliable; (4) they must discriminate sufficiently for findings to be meaningful; (5) they must relate to clearly identifiable events for the targeted audience; (6) they must allow and promote useful comparisons; and (7) they must be strictly evidence-based (Mainz, 2003). Generally, the quality of healthcare is directly determined by many factors among which the specific roles of healthcare workers are some of the most important (Hamric, Spross, & Hanson, 2009; Taylor, Lillis, & LeMone, 2008).

Types of Patient Outcome Indicators

Patient outcome indicators can measure various parameters that affect the quality of healthcare structure or process, they can provide generic measures relevant for all diseases, or they can provide disease-specific measures and specific diagnoses (Mainz, 2003). Moreover, outcome indicator data are of potential interest to populations of patients, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders (Mainz, 2003; Taylor, Lillis, & LeMone, 2008).

Rate-based and Sentinel Outcome Indicators

Rate-based outcome indicators are those that relate to the relative frequency of outcomes such as specific events that are known or expected to occur but with varying frequency depending on external variables (Mainz, 2003). Typically, those expectations are expressed either as proportions, rates, or mean values for sample populations. Conversely, sentinel indicator relate to specific inherently undesirable events or phenomena (such as nosocomial infections) that justify causal analyses and investigation to mitigate their frequency and severity.

Conclusion

Patient outcomes are the most important aspect associated with the quality of healthcare and the sufficiency of specific policies, practices, and procedures within the healthcare industry. Healthcare providers play many critical roles in determining those outcomes and in implementing changes to elements of healthcare implicated in negative patient outcome indicator analyses.