A study protocol to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Clinical Nurse Leader Care Model in improving quality and safety outcomes

• Published in: Nursing open Vol. 8; no. 6; pp. 3688 - 3696
• Main Authors: Bender, Miriam, Williams, Marjory, Cruz, Maricela F., Rubinson, Claude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-11-2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: clinical nurse leader; Collaboration; evidence‐based care delivery; implementation; Leadership; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing care; nursing care delivery; Patient safety; Study Protocol; United States > US; evidence-based care delivery; clinical nurse leader; implementation; nursing care delivery
• ISSN: 2054-1058; 2054-1058
• DOI: 10.1002/nop2.910

Aims
Patients are harmed or die every year because of unsafe, inappropriate or inadequate healthcare delivery. Registered Nurses are a recognized patient safety strategy. However, variability in research findings indicate the relationship is not as simple as “more nurses=better outcomes.” Hence, currently there exists no evidence‐based frontline nursing care model. One emerging model is the Clinical Nurse Leader care model.
Design
This Hybrid Type II Implementation‐Effectiveness study will evaluate the effect of the care model on standardized quality and safety outcomes and identify implementation characteristics that are sufficient and necessary to achieve outcomes.
Methods
This study leverages a natural experiment in 66 clinical care units in nine hospitals across five states in the United States that have implemented the Clinical Nurse Leader care model.
Results
Findings will elucidate Registered Nurse's mechanisms of action as organized into frontline models of care and link actions to improved care quality and safety.