Introduction
Research into the quality of service delivery by nurses is a crucial element in evaluating the performance of the healthcare system. In the article “A Single-Hospital Study of Travel Nurses and Quality: What Is Their Impact on the Patient Experience?”, the authors focused on the impact of travel nursing on the care provided (Faller et al., 2017). Assessing and analyzing their work in the clinic is crucial to improving the understanding of how these professionals can effectively manage their workload. The study found that travel nurses deliver the same level of care as regular employees.
Hypothesis/Purpose
The central theme of this study was the need to investigate the impact of travel nurses on the quality of medical care and their role in clinics. Patient experience in hospitals represents the ultimate attribute that is measured in research because customers can provide the most accurate indicators of care. The research hypothesis states that resorting to the services of travel nurses will not affect the quality of care provided(Faller et al., 2017). Thus, the researchers’ goal was to collect information about how medical institutions could provide care with a variable staff.
Population/Sample
The researchers focused on a community hospital in the southern United States. This allowed them to conduct in-depth work and obtain comprehensive data on how the services of travel nurses can impact the quality of care. This institution was chosen because it is a standard clinic located in both rural and urban areas, which is a positive aspect of the study (Faller et al., 2017). This enables us to fully understand how travel nurses adapt to different types of terrain and how well-suited their services are for a wide range of people.
The population in a given facility is diverse enough to provide a comprehensive view of the care provided to patients and its effectiveness compared to that of staff nurses. The total population of the areas served by the hospital is approximately 300,000, which creates a large sample for the study, as most of these individuals have resorted to the clinic’s services (Faller et al., 2017). The large population of people studied is also ensured by the fact that the study spans a long period of time, two years, which allows for a comprehensive assessment of all factors.
Methodology
The study of the influence of travel nurses on the provision of medical services necessitated the use of a mixed-methods research approach. To achieve this, the scientists utilized data from two sources: the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI). These indicators provided the basis for understanding the effect that nurses have on overall care (Faller et al., 2017). HCAHPS scores are a crucial element in the study, demonstrating how travel nurses can provide care as effectively as other healthcare professionals. This assessment was compiled based on which departments most often involve travel nurses, making it possible to gradually obtain data on all areas of the clinic’s activities.
NDNQI data were obtained from the National Nurse Quality Data Registry. At the same time, the analysis of the presented data compared indicators from different departments where full-time and travel nurses worked. Comparing scores from wards with different nurses provided the researchers with insight into how staff could cope with patients in various situations. The indicators also took into account essential care data, including an increase in the number of travel nurses within departments, to provide an overall picture of how they deliver care compared to full-time employees (Faller et al., 2017). The authors used tools such as analysis of variance, Tukey’s tests, and regression analyses to compare performance across departments with several categories of nurses.
Results
An analysis of the data collected by scientists showed that the use of travel nurses’ services did not hurt the quality of patient care. Patient satisfaction remained relatively high, which indicates that the medical personnel in question provide quality services. The workload of travel nurses accounted for up to 44% of the total work time (Faller et al., 2017). This indicates a heavy workload and a shortage of permanent staff. However, the study’s results also showed that travel nurses can cope with their workload at an acceptable level, and patients do not notice a difference in the quality of care.
Tests conducted by the researchers showed that the difference was not statistically significant, and there were no signs of trends in short-term quality differences, which is a positive result. The researchers conducted 60 different tests across five sites to ensure the results were as accurate as possible (Faller et al., 2017). Thus, only five tests showed a significant difference in the service received. The study suggested that the results could have been influenced by other significant variables rather than the presence of travel nurses.
Conclusion
The article in question provided a detailed understanding of the specifics of the clinic’s work using the services of travel nurses. In this way, complete results regarding the performance of the studied group of nurses were obtained. The study was conducted in a clinic located in the Southern United States, situated at the intersection of urban and rural areas, which provided an opportunity to collect data on the care of a large number of people. The quality of the services provided was relatively high, indicating that travel nurses can deliver comprehensive care that is comparable to that provided by regular employees.
Reference
Faller, M., Dent, B., & Gogek, J. (2017). A single-hospital study of travel nurses and quality: what is their impact on the patient experience? Nurse Leader, 15(4), 271-275.