Investing time and energy to promote a culture of nursing excellence can help hospitals increase patient loyalty, improve care quality and boost physician engagement, according to Press Ganey's 2020 Nursing Special Report released Feb. 20.
Press Ganey researchers analyzed 2019 survey data to compare patient experience performance between 1,809 Magnet and non-Magnet hospitals. Press Ganey used Magnet recognition as a marker of nursing excellence for the analysis but noted hospitals can still achieve a nursing culture that promotes good outcomes without this designation.
"Every organization should be on a journey to nursing excellence, regardless of whether or not they seek a designation," Christy Dempsey, MSN, chief nursing officer of Press Ganey, told Becker's.
In the report, Press Ganey outlines three crucial characteristics of nursing excellence:
- An unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate care
- Nurse leaders who advocate for, support and develop staff nurses
- A collaborative culture in which nurses are empowered to practice at the top of their licenses, demonstrate autonomy and participate in organizational decision-making
Overall, researchers found patients were more likely to recommend Magnet-designated hospitals that demonstrated these characteristics compared to non-Magnet facilities.
Magnet hospitals also had consistently higher survey ratings for six physician-related performance measures and higher physician engagement scores than non-Magnet facilities. Of all Magnet facilities in the U.S., about one-third were in the top-quartile for physician engagement.
"This report truly does solidify and affirm what nurses have known all along," Ms. Dempsey said. "It helps support the fact that nursing is not only important, but also serves as the linchpin for everything else. When you have an excellent nursing culture, then you're also going to have better clinician engagement, care quality, etc."
To view the full report, along with a framework on how to promote nursing excellence, click here.