Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to identify quality indicators related to outpatient nursing responsive to diverse patient needs. These indicators are essential for developing an efficient database for quality evaluation and improvement of outpatient nursing.
Methods: We conducted group interviews with nurses in the outpatient departments of four Japanese hospitals and asked them about organizational nursing initiatives implemented to address complex and diverse outpatient needs. Inductive analyses were conducted using interview data transcripts to identify outpatient nursing quality indicators, which were then deductively sorted into “structural,” “process,” and “outcome” categories.
Results: Interview data from 22 nurses revealed 14 organizational initiatives in outpatient nursing that were categorized into five outpatient nursing functions. The structural indicators included nurse staffing, private room environment, and the establishment of a continuity of care committee. The process indicators included the amount of medical guidance provided and the number of continuities of care requested by the ward, and the outcome indicators included treatment continuation rate, average length of hospital stay, and patients’ sense of security.
Conclusion: We identified organizational initiatives and indicators relevant to outpatient nursing, where nurses communicate with patients with complex and diverse needs. Our results can be used to evaluate and improve outpatient nursing care.
