The Nursing Care Quality Initiative and its Influence on Nurses’ Clinical Care and Professionalism: One Solution to Nurse Retention?

Abstract

The Nursing Care Quality Initiative (NCQI) is a collaborative project between the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and Mount Sinai New York University Health. Eighteen patient care units within 10 hospitals are involved in the NCQI Project, which is focused on preparing staff nurses as family-centered geriatric resource nurses (FCGRNs) to improve the quality of care provided to hospitalized elders and their families. This article describes the basic program that has been implemented and focuses on the qualitative results from both anecdotal reports of family members and nurses and interviews among the FCGRNs. Preliminary results confirm the increased satisfaction among family members and the increase in knowledge of nurses and reports of enhanced professionalism. The authors link these issues of nurse retention.