Nursing Sensitive Indicators

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Nursing-sensitive indicators have taken the forefront of quality measures and the definition of how quality of nursing care is evaluated in hospitals and out-patient care settings. These indicators allow nurses and administrators to evaluate how the care they are providing is following evidence-based practices, and how they may improve their practices toward better patient outcomes. The American Nurses Association has made steps forward in promoting these indicators as the definitive standards for patient care and quality improvement. This paper will evaluate how nursing-sensitive indicators could have assisted the staff in taking care of a patient, Mr. J, how nursing-sensitive indicators can advance quality care practices, and evaluate the ethical considerations and solutions to the problems encountered in Mr. J’s care.
In the care of the patient Mr. J, utilizing nursing-sensitive indicators could have greatly assisted the nurses and aids in identifying issues that may interfere with patient care and cause negative patient outcomes. The ANA has defined a number of nursing-sensitive indicators in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI). The national database program collects these designated indicators and analyzes their prevalence in an effort to prevent these negative patient outcomes and make recommendations about how they may be avoided (ANA, 2009). There were a number of errors made in the patient’s care, and closer adherence and understanding of these guidelines would have proven useful in guiding these personnel in his care. Without paying attention to these quality indicators, some care may have fallen through the cracks, some may have not been identified in a time-frame that was meaningful or useful, and much of the care the patient received may have been detrimental to his condition.
One nursing-sensitive indicator that was not

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