Nursing care quality at National Quality Forum

Nurses, as the principal caregivers in any healthcare system, directly and profoundly affect the lives of patients and are critical to the quality of care patients receive. However, patient acuity and shorter lengths of stay, the nursing shortage, changing technology, expansion of public and community health services, and higher patient expectations have produced a greater demand for care, mounted financial pressure, and limited nursing resources. Today’s nurses practice in a constrained environment that tests the core of their contribution to quality.

The National Quality Forum(NQF) is leading an effort to understand more fully the extent to which nurses contribute to improved patient safety and healthcare outcomes and promote nursing care quality. The NQF site www.qualityforum.org/nursing/default.htm provides an overview of NQF activities in this area and supports a growing community of stakeholders—including healthcare professionals, researchers, consumers, public and private purchasers, employers, health plans, accrediting bodies, labor organizations, and organizations involved in healthcare research or quality improvement—that are interested in collaborating in this endeavor.