Linking nurse and patient data could open new lines of research

Nurse researchers in Kansas and Colorado argue capturing data about the work of individual nurses is critical to identifying the contributions nurses make to patient care. In addition to informing clinical care, the data could be used in policymaking and reimbursement decisions. Linking nurses to patients could also open new lines of research. Questions might explore the costs of care based on individual nurse wages and hours; the correlation between individual nurses’ skill levels and the outcomes of care; ways to assign nurses of various experience levels; and the connections between delays in care and poor clinical outcomes. The authors concluded that creating an ability to identify nurses in existing data repositories needs “further development and consensus to build capacity for future shared data warehouse strategies.” (Medscape story, 7/24/19)