A descriptive study of hospital nurses' valuation of quality assurance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe hospital nurses' valuation of quality ~ssurance. It replicateq Edwardson and Anderson's (1983) study through use of their questionnaire. One nursing department located in a southern community was studied. A total of 78 nursing employees supplied data regarding valuation of quality assurance. Three distinct groups supplied the data: staff nurses who worked Monday through Friday; management nurses; and nurses who worked a special staffing option, the Baylor Plan, on weekends. The Metropolitan Nurses for Quality Assurance Nursing Survey Questionnaire, developed by members of the Metropolitan Nurses in Quality Assurance of Greater Minneapolis and St. Paul, was used to measure valuation of quality assurance. Data were analyzed descriptively~ The study hypotheses proposed by Edwardson and Anderson did not appear. to be supported. Nurses who had participated in formal quality assurance activities within the last year were not more likeiy to want to write care standards for their specialty area or engage in peer review.