The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators: Delivering on a Promise

This article chronicles the research and development of the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators .The database was conceptualized by the American Nurses Association during the 1990s to capture the value of nursing care on patient quality outcomes.The goals of the database were to create a longitudinal dataset of nursing structures, processes and patient outcomes sensitive to quality nursing care; in other words, nursing-sensitive indicators.Critical advancements and future directions are discussed.The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) was launched in 1998 by the American Nurses Association (ANA) to determine factors that impact nursing care and quality patient outcomes. 1The database was developed as a quality measurement in the United States, accelerated in the 1990s amidst spiraling health costs and declining quality outcomes. 1As the industry sought to reduce costs through workforce restructuring, it became imperative to demonstrate nursing's value to healthcare.One strategy was to identify the nursing structures, processes and outcomes contributing to quality patient outcomes.Through a series of pilot studies, the initial 10 indicators of nursing capacity and patient outcomes were developed.This formed the foundation of the NDNQI, the largest unit-level nursing database to benchmark organizational performance against national, regional, and state standards.