Improving the quality of nursing care in Austria: 10 years of success

Aims We provide more updated and comprehensive insights, including descriptions of changes that have taken place in the quality of pressure injury care provided in hospitals over a 10-year period. Background Various nursing quality measurements do not present a comprehensive view on nursing-sensitive quality indicators or place a focus on one specific care problem. Methods It is a repeated cross-sectional multicentre study conducted annually on 1 day including comprehensive data regarding nursing-sensitive care problems and quality indicators on the structure, process and outcome levels. Results The prevalence of pressure injuries decreased over the years from 4.4% to 2.9%, and the frequency of interventions increased. Conclusion TheNursing Quality Measurement2.0 initiative shows considerable improvements over a 10-year period. Therefore, the maintenance of such nursing databases should be treated as a prerequisite to providing high-quality nursing care and safe nursing practice. One main benefit of creating and maintaining such databases is that allow users to screen for improvements, for example in pressure injury care. These observations can be used to develop marketing strategies and/or to empower and engage nursing staff. Implications for Nursing Management Participation in such quality measurements allows the comparison of data collected in wards and institutions in many different countries, enabling them to set appropriate benchmarks. Furthermore, the results can be compared over a period of time, highlighting systematic changes, trends or improvements (e.g., due to implemented innovations).

Automated summary

The study highlights significant improvements in nursing quality over a 10-year period, particularly in pressure injury care. Maintaining nursing databases is crucial for providing high-quality nursing care and safe nursing practice.