GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Benchmark: a standard against which something can be measured or assessed.
Clinical practice guidelines: systematically developed statements to assist clinicians and patients in making decisions about care. Ideally these guidelines consist of a systemic review of the literature, in combination with consensus of a group of expert decision-makers, including administrators, policy-makers, clinicians and consumers.
Clinical problem: In providing care to patients, nurses ask questions about their practice: Why am I doing this? Why am I doing it this way? Is there another better possible way?
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Clinical outcome: Observable or measurable effects of some intervention or action focused on the recipient of the service and, not the provider.
Database: a collection of related literature generally accessible electronically in a computer (i.g.CINAHL, Pub Med, Medline).
EBP project map: A written roadmap for the practice change (who, what, when and where) It may have many components including project objectives, what steps are involved with the objectives, and who is responsible for completing objectives.
External benchmark: the process of looking outward to identify, understand and adapt best practices and to help improve performance.
Internal data: Comes primarily from systematically but locally obtained facts or information. This includes data from local performance, planning, quality, outcome, and evaluation activity.
Indicator: a statistical value or values that individually or together provide an indication of the condition or direction of a measure ( e.g., pressure ulcers, falls, infection rates).
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Nonprofit organization which offers resources and services to help healthcare organizations throughout the world make dramatic and long-lasting improvements. IHI was founded in 1991 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. www.ihi.org
Institutional wide culture: Shared knowledge and behavior of people who interact within the same facility.
Meta-Analysis: a process of using quantitative methods to summarize the results from multiple studies, obtained and critically reviewed using a rigorous process for identifying, appraising and synthesizing studies to answer a specific question and draw conclusions about the data gathered.
National benchmarks: the process of looking across the country to identify, understand and adapt best practices and to help improve performance.
National centered intervention: specific practice recommendations that are based on a rigorous review of the best evidence on a specific topic.
National Quality Forum: a not-for-profit membership organization created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting. Established as a public-private partnership, the NQF has broad participation from all parts of the health care system, including national, state, regional, and local groups representing consumers, public and private purchasers, employers, health care professionals, provider organizations, health plans, accrediting bodies, labor unions, supporting industries, and organizations involved in health care research or quality improvement. Together, the organizational members of the NQF will work to promote a common approach to measuring health care quality and fostering system-wide capacity for quality improvement. http://www.qualityforum.org/
Nurse sensitive indicators: the end result of nursing interventions that reflect problem resolution, progress toward problem or symptom resolution (Falls, falls with injury, Pressure ulcers, restraint prevalence, UTIs for ICU patients, etc)
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Observational studies: In statistics, the goal of an observational study is to draw inferences about the possible effect of a treatment on subjects, where the assignment of subjects into a treated group versus a control group is outside the control of the investigator. This is in contrast with controlled experiments, such as randomized controlled trials, where each subject is randomly assigned to a treated group or a control group before the start of the treatment.
Organizational strategic plan: Written plan with clearly established goals. The goals established should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound. The established goals should be high enough to facilitate growth in the organization.
Organizational-wide governance: A framework through which organizations are accountable for continually improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care creating an environment of excellence in clinical care. There are 3 key attributes: recognizing high standards of care, transparent responsibility and accountability for those standards, and a constant dynamic of improvement.
Performance criteria: criteria (rules or principles) used to judge performance of individuals, groups or organizations.
Performance expectations: create a clear vision (or goal) and establish a benchmark based on this.
Prevalence: refers to the persons in the at-risk population who have the outcome or disorder in a given “snapshot of time.”
Qualitative studies: research that involves the collection of data in nonnumeric form such as personal interviews, usually with the intention of describing a phenomenon.
Quantitative studies: research that collects data in numeric form and emphasizes precise measurement of variables; often conducted in the form of rigorously controlled studies.
Researchable questions: To determine the “real “ clinical issue. To articulate the clinical issue in such a way that maximizes the information obtained with minimal time spent in searching for relevant, valid evidence to answer it. Questions that can be answered from scientific evidence about diagnosing, treating, or assisting patients with understanding their prognosis.
Stakeholders: a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something, as a business or industry.
System centered measure: Indicators that reflect the workforce environment of organizations like RN turnover and vacancy.
System process: A framework for organized, ongoing and systematic measurement, assessment and documentation of performance improvement activities.
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