By Karen Haller, PhD, RN, FAAN
VP of Nursing and Patient Care Services
Johns Hopkins Hospital
The American Nurses Association’s 2009 Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality, given to Hopkins this past January, has pleased me more than any other honor we’ve received. I am thrilled because this award is data-based and reflects what happens at the bedside. We didn’t apply for it. It didn’t come down to a vote among nurse leaders based on our reputation. As the oft-quoted adage says, “In God we trust, all others need data!” This award reflects that standard.
I credit our outstanding nursing staff with achieving sustained excellence in the nursing-sensitive quality indicators tracked by the National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI®), which include hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, patient falls with injury, and infections related to the hospitalization. For everyone who has screened patients at risk, made routine rounds to turn patients or accompany them to the bathroom, practiced scrupulous hand hygiene… this award is yours!
I also credit the Nurse Managers and their teams for fostering a healthy workplace where staff can flourish and deliver top-notch care to patients.
In recognizing Hopkins nurses, ANA President Becky Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, said: “The Johns Hopkins Hospital exemplifies the commitment, leadership, data analysis, and efficient use of resources that are needed by nurse executives and bedside nurses to produce the best possible outcomes. The NDNQI® program is all about using evidence from the reporting of outcomes to improve nursing care practices, staffing and systems for care delivery, and The Johns Hopkins Hospital has achieved that at a high level.”