Determination of Nursing Sensitive Indicators for Intensive Care Units in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction: Assessment of the quality of health services continues to be one of the top research areas from past to present. The development of nursing-sensitive indicators is one of the critical elements in assessing the quality of nursing care. This study aims to determine the nursing-sensitive indicators for intensive care unit (ICU)s. Methods: This research was conducted between May 2017 and October 2017 using a descriptive qualitative research phenomenological design. The research was assessed by the qualitative research paradigm based on Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ). Ethics committee approval of the study and written permissions from the selected hospitals were obtained. The research was performed with in-depth face-to-face interviews with 12 participants from three different hospitals and nursing education institutions through a semi-structured interview form. During the interviews, voice recordings were taken with prior permission, and the recordings obtained were deciphered word by word and evaluated with content analysis. Results: As a result of the research, four main themes were created; the patient-focused outcome indicators, the nurse-focused outcome indicators, the nursing-focused process/intervention indicators, and the organizational-focused structural indicators. Under these main themes, nursing-sensitive indicators have been determined. Conclusion: Nosocomial infections and pressure ulcers were the two-leading nursing-sensitive indicators. This research suggests developing policies and procedures for forming a national database specific to nursing, including nursing-sensitive indicators.