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More than 1,100 nursing and hospital leaders from across the country and overseas will gather at the American Nurses Association Nursing Quality Conference Jan. 25-27 in Las Vegas to share strategies on achieving and sustaining improvements in the quality of the nation's healthcare.
According to ANA, attendees will learn about a recent study by National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) researchers that shows a strong correlation between nurse staffing patterns and hospital-acquired infections in adult critical care units.
NDNQI data reveals higher levels of registered nurses' hours worked per patient were associated with lower rates of blood stream and urinary tract infections, according to ANA. Also, units with higher percentages of RNs with national specialty certifications, such as critical care or cardiac surgical, had lower infection rates.
More than 1,800 hospitals, about one-third of the nation's hospitals, participate in NDNQI, a program of ANA's National Center for Nursing Quality. The program collects data quarterly at the hospital unit-level on such indicators as patient falls, pressure ulcers and infections, which are linked to the quality of nursing services.
NDNQI allows hospitals to compare the performance of their nursing units to others locally, statewide and nationwide, and set benchmarks.
NDNQI has been expanding internationally, with 17 hospitals from Europe, Australia, Asia and other continents now participating. About two dozen representatives from foreign hospitals will attend the conference, many of whom will tour several Nevada hospitals that use NDNQI to improve their performance.
The NDNQI Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality will be presented Jan. 26 to six hospitals that achieved overall excellence in nursing quality, based on data they report to NDNQI.
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