Table 1 The characteristics of the studies included in this review
Author | Title | Sample size | Aim and setting | Study method | Indicator domain (number) | Study location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kunaviktikul et al. 2005 | Development of indicators to assess the quality of nursing care in Thailand | Not specified | General clinical nursing | Descriptive observational (FGDs observation sheets, record retrieval forms) | 9 indicators; Structure (2), process (2), outcome (5) | Thailand (Asia) |
McCance et al. 2012 | Identifying key performance indicators for nursing and midwifery care using a consensus approach | 130 | General nursing and midwifery | Consensus (collaborative problem solving) method | 6 process indicators | Ireland (Europe) |
Langemo et al. 2002 | Nursing quality outcome indicators: The North Dakota Study | 217 nurses; 924 patients | Medical and surgical units, intensive care units, transitional care, and swing bed units | Expert/questionnaire | 11 indicators: structure (3), process (3), outcome (5) | North Dakota (United States of America) |
Pazargadi et al. 2008 | Proposing indicators for the development of nursing care quality in Iran | 161 nurses | General clinical nursing | Descriptive-exploratory | 20 indicators: structure (10), process (5), outcome (5) | Iran (Asia) |
La Sala et al. 2017 | The quality of nursing in intensive care: a development of a rating scale | 43 experts | Intensive care unit | Literature review and panel of experts | 21 process indicators. | Italy (Europe) |
Fugaça et al. 2015 | Use of balanced indicators as a management tool in nursing | 200 medical records | Intensive care unit | Case study | 14 indicators: structure (1), process (7), outcome (6) | Brazil (United States of America) |
Burston et al. 2013 | Nurse-sensitive indicators suitable to reflect nursing care quality: a review and discussion of issues | 40 studies | General nursing | Review | 44 outcome indicators | Australia |
Foulkes et al. 2011 | Nursing metrics: measuring quality in patient care | Not specified | General nursing | Expert opinion | 10 indicators: safety (5), effectiveness (3), nurses compassion (2) | United Kingdom (Europe) |
Chen et al. 2016 | Using the Delphi method to develop nurse-sensitive quality indicators for the NICU | 41 experts | Neonatal intensive care units | Modified Delphi technique | 11indicators: structural (1), process (2), outcomes (8) | China |
Seaman et al. 2016 | Abstracting ICU nursing care quality data from the electronic health Record | 1 440 case records | Intensive care unit | Single-blind, randomised crossover cluster (stepped wage) design | 6 indicators | Pennsylvania (United States of America) |
Martha et al. 2006 | The nightingale metrics | Not specified | General nursing | Focused group discussion | Inpatient cardiology unit (4), PICU (7), CICU (6), NICU (8) | Boston (United States of America) |
Twigg et al. 2015 | Foundation of nurse-sensitive outcome indicator suite for monitoring public patient safety in Western Australia | 259 463 patient records | Medical and surgical units | A review of literature and piloting of indicators on an EHR | 8 outcome indicators | Australia |
Maben et al. 2012 | High quality metrics for nursing. | 18 experts | General nursing | Taskforce review | 34 indicators: safety (9), effectiveness (5), patient experience (10), workforce (5), staff experience (5) | United Kingdom (Europe) |
Griffiths et al. 2008 | State of the art metrics for nursing: a rapid appraisal | Not applicable | General nursing | Review | 18 indicators: safety (7), effectiveness (8), compassion (3) | United Kingdom (Europe) |
Koy et al. 2016 | The quantitative measurement of nursing care quality: a systematic review of available instruments | 18 tools | General nursing | Systematic review | Nurses’ perspectives (11), patients’ perspectives (5). Categories and subcategories of nurse-patient perspectives | Cambodia (Asia) |
McCance et al. 2009 | Using the caring dimensions inventory as an indicator of person-centred nursing. | 107 patients; 122 nurses | Medical and surgical, ICU, operating room, sexual health clinic, older people rehabilitation and paediatric infectious disease wards | Quasi-experimental | 40 indicators: nurses’ perspectives (19), patients’ perspective (21) Both nurses and patients (6) | United Kingdom (Europe) |
Montalvo et al. 2007 | The national database of nursing quality indicators | Â | General nursing | Report | 14 indicators: structural (4), process (1), outcome (4), outcome/process (4) | United States of America |
Zhang et al. 2016 | Assessing nursing quality in paediatric intensive care units; a cross sectional study in China. | 1 385 patients and 274 PICU nurses. | Paediatric intensive care units | Descriptive, cross-sectional | 15 indicators: structural (5), process (3), outcome (7) | China |
Riehle et al. 2007 | Specifying and standardizing performance measures for use at a national level; implications for nurse-sensitive care performance measures. | Â | General nursing | Report | 35 outcome indicators | United States of America |
Lacey et al. 2006 | Developing measures of paediatric nursing quality | 10 acute care hospitals | Paediatric units | Review of literature, panel of experts and pilot study | 6 outcome indicators | United States of America |
Stratton et al. 2008 | Paediatric | 34 patient care units. | Paediatric units | Descriptive, Correlational, linear mixed model. | 9 indicators | United States of America |
St Pierre et al. 2006 | Staff nurses’ use of report card data for quality improvement |  | General nursing | Report | 14 indicators | United States of America |
Lacey et al. 2009 | Nursing; key to quality improvement | Â | General nursing | Review | 15 indicators: patients centred (8), nursing-centred (3), system-centred (4) | United States of America |