In phase two, pilot studies were conducted in 16 acute care, long-term care and home care settings (CCACs and provider agencies) across Ontario to assess the feasibility of collecting outcomes information.

Nurses were trained to assess these outcomes using a standardized format on admission and discharge for acute care, on admission, quarterly and discharge for complex continuing care, long-term care and home care. Focus groups with nurses supported the use of health outcomes information in their practice.

• Executive Summary, Pilot Projects, 2004
• Collecting Data on Nursing-Sensitive Outcomes in Different Care Settings : Can it be Done? What are the Benefits? (Report of the Nursing and Health Outcomes Feasibility Study)
• Health Outcome Measures
  • Results demonstrated the feasiblity of collecting information about outcomes in a standardized way and this information has utility for nurses in planning for patient care.
  • Nurses in study sites found the collection of outcome measures that were identified beneficial to nursing practice. Nurses reported that the information assisted them in identifying patient severity, identifying patient needs, selecting nursing interventions and evaluating care.
  • Nurses reported that while they were assessing many of the outcome measures in their daily practice, they were not collecting this information in a standardized format.
  • Senior nurse executives found that there was value in having a system that tracks outcome measures across the continuum in all sectors.
• Indicators of Nurse Staffing and Quality Nursing Work Environments
  • Critical appraisal of the literature on nurse staffing and quality work environment indicators has led to the creation of a second nursing text – Quality Work Environments for Nurse and Patient Safety – a comprehensive synthesis of the literature that reviews the quality of the evidence, and provides direction for the selection of variables and approaches to their measurement.
  • A feasibility study of the nursing indicators is being conducted in acute care, complex continuing care, long-term care and home care settings across Ontario.
  • Indicators of Nurse Staffing and the Nursing Work Environment Study – Executive Summary
  • Indicators of Nurse Staffing and Quality Nursing Work Environments : A Critical Synthesis of the Literature.