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Clinical nurse leaders, partners in quality improvement

Nurse Leader Insider, October 8, 2019

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Quality within any healthcare system depends on improving patient outcomes, which rely on continual nursing professional development and overall improvements in system performance. One of your most important resources for managing such improvements is the clinical nurse leader (CNL). This clinician is a master’s prepared advanced generalist nurse who builds quality measures in patient care outcomes and implements evidence-based practice principles at the clinical point of care and service. These outcomes align with the facility’s goals and strategic plan and can positively impact patient care processes.

For example, when working with a CNL, you can align the care team with strategic performance goals. CNLs and the quality systems team are important resources for strategic planning for quality and performance improvement (objectives, priorities, expectations, deliverables, and timelines). Working together, you can establish an infrastructure for engaging and motivating staff and other team members to work toward achieving improved patient care outcomes within the organization’s measures of performance. CPI only happens when everyone engages to improve management of operations and care delivery.

As the context of healthcare environments continually evolves and changes, your role becomes more complex and demanding. However, these growing challenges offer expanding opportunities for developing partnerships with your nurse manager, CNLs, and interprofessional team members to improve quality, practice, and competency in managing unit operations and coordinating patient care. By taking of advantage of these opportunities, you can help create a unit culture of safety, quality, and practice excellence.

Source: The Effective Charge Nurse Handbook

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