Fifteen years of research on hospital performance has given Thomson Healthcare’s senior vice president an idea of what it takes to be one of the nation’s 100 top-performing hospitals: more bedside nurses, less outsourcing, and, above all, a focus on quality from top leadership.

A report released by The Joint Commission calls on hospitals to improve patient care by eliminating racial and ethnic disparities. In April, One Size Does Not Fit All: Meeting the Needs of a Diverse Population

With fall under way, it’s time to start gearing up for respiratory virus season. That means giving staff members a refresher on respiratory etiquette.

by Shelley Cohen, RN, BS, CEN How many times have you heard yourself or another manager make a comment about how “you have no life”? Maybe you joke that your second home is work—and it’s surely not a vacation home.

The right person in the preceptor role boosts job satisfaction of new nurses and raises retention rates at a facility. But keeping the preceptor role filled means keeping your preceptors satisfied—something that takes thought from every nurse manager.

It takes a lot of work, but conducting nursing research projects at your facility can result in significant changes in the nursing field. You can use research findings to promote changes in patient care delivery, to establish or develop clinical guidelines, or to develop healthcare policy.

Being open to change is a must at a hospital. Cecile Broussard, RN, MS, quality manager at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, LA, knows this firsthand: When she implemented the use of a punch clock for dating and timing physician orders at Our Lady of Lourdes, some departments responded well, but others did not.