The Association Between Magnet® Recognition and Patient Outcomes

Abstract

BACKGROUND Previous systematic reviews have explored nurse, patient, and organizational outcomes in Magnet®-recognized hospitals compared with non-Magnet hospitals, yet these did not comprehensively review a wide variety of patient outcomes. AIM The purpose of this scoping review was to describe the findings from published research evaluating patient outcomes in Magnet-recognized hospitals compared with non-Magnet hospitals. METHODS A medical librarian conducted a systematic search for published peer-reviewed, English-language literature and a search of the reference lists for retrieved publications to identify articles addressing Magnet compared with non-Magnet hospitals related to patient outcomes. RESULTS Four patient outcomes improved in Magnet-designated hospitals: mortality, patient satisfaction, failure to rescue, and falls. Four patient outcomes showed undesirable or mixed outcomes. Five patient outcomes had insufficient evidence regarding patient outcomes when treated at Magnet-recognized hospitals. CONCLUSION Magnet Recognition® is associated with improvement in a distinct set of patient outcomes, but not all key outcome measures. Standardized outcomes and rigorous study designs are needed to further explore the impact of Magnet Recognition on a wide variety of patient outcomes.