Strengthening Hospital Nursing: A Program to Improve Patient Care

The Program, Strengthening Hospital Nursing: A Program to Improve Patient Care, jointly funded with Pew Charitable Trusts, was designed to encourage hospitals to undertake institution-wide restructuring in order to provide better patient care by improving nursing services.This is a private rural hospital with 272 beds and the lead hospital in a rural regional consortium partnership which consists of three South Central Minnesota hospitals in Mankato, Waseca and Arlington. They have five objectives to improve patient care: (1) provide leadership in developing a regional health care system responsive to rural consumers (i.e., critical paths for 12-15 diagnosis, demonstration project developed, 3 programs developed based on epidemiology studies); (2) develop indicators to measure the quality and cost-effectiveness of care through redesign process (i.e., implementation of an information system for patient care, market share will increase 1-2 percent, staff evaluation to be criteria based, cost effectiveness demonstrated; (3) facilitate cultural change among members of health care team (i.e., 65 nurses designated as leaders in patient care); (4) implement case managed care; (5) integrate regional network of service and education providers (i.e., a minimum of four centers will develop partnerships). Their evaluation plan includes a component to address potential for replication of the project for other rural areas.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $470,831.00

Awarded on: 10/25/1990

Time frame: 11/1/1990 - 11/30/1992

Grant Number: 17515