Quality Of Life and Nursing: a Position Paper

• Main Authors: Antigoni Fountouki, Dimitrios Theofanidis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Professor Despina Sapountzi-Krepia 2010-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Caring Sciences
• Subjects: quality; assurance; evaluation; nursing
• Online Access: http://internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org/docs/Vol3_Issue2_02_Theofanidis.pdf

Introduction: This paper presents a historical review of quality assurance in nursing with terminologicaldefinitions. General issues involving the evaluation of quality of care are discussed and key questions tackled.Aims: The aims of this paper were to critically discuss and analyze the essence of quality as a construct with highrelevance to nursing practice. Also, to look at quality through a series of important benchmark questions such aswho evaluates, who is the evaluated, what is evaluated, whose interests are involved.Methods: An online search in Medline, CINHAL, PsycINFO, ELIN, Embase, and the Cochrane Database ofSystematic Reviews was conducted. Retrieved studies were screened to meet certain inclusion criteria, i.e.relevance, significant meanings in correspondence with this paper’s aims and of interest to an international nursingreadership.Results: Data were abstracted from each paper and tabulated for further discussion and data synthesis. Nurses havebeen fervent supporters of quality assurance as it provides feedback to the profession about its practices andeffectiveness of care. The hospital, as an independent organization in the health care industry, sees nursing as theprovider closest to the consumer so is very concerned with the quality of nursing care. Nurses see through the lensof the customer and understand his or her wants and needs and therefore understand business better than otherproviders.Conclusions: The main conclusion of this position paper is that a major underlying reason for quality of careevaluation is the measurement of costs. As the goal for every successful manager is to minimise costs whilemaintaining quality. This equates nursing evaluation to the evaluation of a business model- a parallel which doesnot appeal to the caring profession of nursing.