Nurses' integration of outcomes assessment data into practice.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide initial insight from rational and phenomenologic theoretical perspectives into how nurses integrate baseline and follow-up outcomes assessment data into practice to inform their clinical decision-making. Preliminary findings from 29 nurse interviews indicate that some nurses use outcomes assessment data for evaluating their interventions and for decisions concerning initial and/or discharge planning. Nurses' perceived usefulness of outcomes data was based on task complexity and nurses' level of expertise.