Nursing & Patient Care
Revised performance dashboard for Nursing and Patient Care Services
Heidi Waitkus, RN, OCN (right), nurse manager of the Dana 1 infusion unit, reviews performance data with Suzelle Saint-Eloi, RN.
For some time, DFCI has used a performance dashboard to support quality improvement activities and evaluate outcomes. The dashboard is an online communication tool that tracks performance data over time. For Nursing and Patient Care Services, the dashboard provides a comprehensive view of practice outcomes using four perspectives: clinical, customer service, finances and resources, and team strength. The goal is to highlight best practices and to identify opportunities for improvement.
Since the summer of 2003, Suzelle Saint-Eloi, RN, program manager for nursing quality management, has led an effort to revitalize sections of the dashboard related to Nursing and Patient Care Services. She first met with groups of staff to find out what data they would find most useful. "The front line staff are closest to the work," Saint-Eloi explains. "Their input is valued. We got their feedback as to what is most important."
These meetings yielded a list of over 30 quality indicators that measure elements such as patient satisfaction, compliance with standards, and staff turnover. Saint-Eloi brought this information to Stephanie Buia, program analyst for the Department of Quality Improvement. They worked on details such as how data will be obtained, what the measurement intervals will be, and how goals for each criterion will be set.
As data are collected, the dashboard is updated on a rolling basis. Buia has programmed a user-friendly report that managers can view on demand. The managers can then use the data to support formal and informal quality improvement initiatives. Soon, elements of the dashboard will be available to all staff via the DFCI intranet.
Buia believes that this initiative from Nursing and Patient Care Services is setting a new standard in quality improvement for ambulatory oncology care. She notes, "I think their work is cutting edge. They are going to set the standard for what constitutes the most useful and appropriate measures in ambulatory performance." Charley Borden, director of Quality Improvement, agrees, noting, "The work of Suzelle, Stephanie, and all of Nursing and Patient Care Services is a beacon for all of DFCI. We are well along the way in developing and incorporating key measures from every department into a DFCI-wide dashboard."
