Nurses' Vital Role in Hospital Quality Improvement

Over the past several years the quality of health care in hospitals has been a subject of public and political interest. Nurses have a large impact on quality improvement in hospitals as they have the most direct contact with patients.

Function

• Nurses are responsible primarily for the care of patients in hospitals and other health care settings. Because of the amount of direct contact with patients, nurses also implement any quality improvement standards or policies other health care workers or managers create.

Significance

• Quality improvement policies and procedures are created in response to a need or concern in an area of patient care. To implement the policies and procedures, nurses must cooperate and reflect the quality improvement measures in their interactions with patients as they directly affect the patient's experience.

Considerations

• Nurses frequently work long hours and under busy and stressful conditions. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to be a successful nurse, one must be caring, sympathetic, responsible and detail-oriented. They must also be flexible as the health care industry is constantly changing and improving, requiring new information and policies to be implemented.