Nurses have shown incredible leadership in confronting recent healthcare obstacles—from lost insurance access to once-in-a-generation pandemic disruptions. As policies, technologies, and social factors transform health systems, expert nurses guide communities through uncertainty with care models that enhance well-being.
In this blog post, we will highlight the contribution of nurses in leading innovations in quality, safety, and equitable access.
The seminal Institute of Medicine's “To Err Is Human” publication sounded alarms in 1999 about the silent epidemic of American medical errors contributing to nearly 98,000 annual deaths. With time, the stakes intensified for systemic improvement. Nurse leadership emerged, accelerating cultural transformations and pioneering processes that saved countless lives.
Take Children’s Hospital Solutions for Patient Safety Network (SPS), for example. Founded by nurse scientist Marlene Miller in 2001, it aims to unite children’s hospitals to develop evidence-based harm reduction tactics and tools.
By adopting the best practices across their network, their hospitals are making significant strides in preventing serious harm. As of November 2023, this nationwide network of child healthcare has spared over 25,000 children from harm, resulting in an estimated cost savings of $500 million.
Similarly, medical experts around the world credit ICU nurses’ relentless systems analysis and testing of solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic for lifting outcomes.
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Quality Care Revolutionaries
