Don't Miss Out on Nurse-Led Quality Initiatives

Some hospitals are already working toward getting new grads involved in QI activities. Researchers pointed to the Integrated Nurse Leadership Program in California, and the Bi-State Nursing Workforce Innovation Center's Clinical Scene Investigator Academy in Kansas and Missouri as examples of successful initiatives.

The researchers also said that since 2008, there's been an increase in the number of hospitals who participate in formal programs aimed at increasing nurses' engagement in quality and safety initiatives, such as Transforming Care at the Bedside and National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators Program. Because of this, researchers expect to eventually see increased participation in QI efforts from nurses in later cohorts.

In addition, the researchers made a number of other recommendations for hospital leaders. They include:

• Subscribing to programs that allow RNs to complete self-directed online modules to learn about QI
• Having more experienced colleagues guide early-career RNs in translating newly-acquired QI knowledge into action
• Ensuring that staffing levels are high enough and that RNs have sufficient release time to participate in QI activities
• Ensuring RNs have access to an information technology infrastructure that provides meaningful, timely, and actionable QI data

In the meantime, if hospital leaders want current and future nurses involved in QI efforts, they'd do well to purse partnerships with nursing schools.