Measuring nurse performance: A systems perspective

Author: Abukhader, Sajed M.

Source: International Journal of Healthcare Management, Volume 5, Number 3, August 2012 , pp. 117-128(12)

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Abstract:

Purpose

Measuring nurse performance is deemed important for the enhancement of clinical practice. In turn, this requires development of reliable, commonly acceptable measurement instruments. Unfortunately, the literature indicates that there is yet no universally adopted nurse performance instrument. The ultimate aim of this study is to investigate nurses' views regarding the design and mechanism of the instrument from a systems perspective. The need is to investigate the possible approaches that enable generating performance instruments.

Design/methodology

Interviews were held with 43 nurses in nurse manager positions in three hospitals, located in an Arabian Gulf country, which are soon to become accredited by an international body.

Findings

There clearly is no wide, common clear agreement among nurse managers for what should be a comprehensive set of assessment items. Designing a nurse performance instrument needs considering a number of issues including possibility of employing systems analysis in generating the assessment items, looking into the formulation of assessment items in terms of detail level, as well as tailoring of performance appraisal to each unit/ward.

Keywords: Systems perspective; Nursing process; Staff nurse; Gulf Cooperation Council; Performance appraisal; Performance instrument

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/2047971912Y.0000000011

Affiliations: Prince Sultan University, College of Business Administration, Riyadh 11586, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Publication date: 2012-08-01

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