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Nursing-Sensitive Patient Outcomes
Given the status of health care, the need for articulation of nursing's contribution to quality care, and ONS's commitment for quality, a strategic plan for defining, measuring, and educating about nursing-sensitive patient outcomes is essential. Within that context, in 2003 the Oncology Nursing Society convened a Steering Council Project Team to develop a definition of "oncology nursing-sensitive patient outcomes" and a strategic plan for ONS in relation to outcomes of care for individuals with cancer that are sensitive to nursing.
The resulting report on nursing sensitive patient outcomes includes a definition statement based on a review of models and literature related to nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. The report proposes definitions and an organizing framework for the consideration of oncology nursing-sensitive patient outcomes. Key points include:
- Outcomes, which focus on how patients and their healthcare problems are affected by nursing interventions, have been identified and are described as nursing-sensitive patient outcomes.
- Nursing-sensitive patient outcomes are those outcomes arrived at, or significantly impacted by, nursing interventions. The interventions must be within the scope of nursing practice and integral to the processes of nursing care; an empirical link must exist.
- Nursing-sensitive patient outcomes are outcomes that are sensitive to nursing care or care rendered in collaboration with other healthcare providers.
- Nursing-sensitive patient outcomes represent the consequences or effects of nursing interventions and result in changes in patients' symptom experience, functional status, safety, psychological distress, and/or costs.
The ONS Outcomes Project Team also commissioned nursing research experts to develop evidence-based outcomes measurement summaries. These summaries provide a centralized resource on the measurement of specific oncology nursing-sensitive patient outcomes, such as fatigue and prevention of infection.
The ONS Patient Outcomes Survey was designed as a survey research project to gather basic descriptive information regarding oncology nurses' perceptions of oncology nursing-sensitive patient outcomes.