Nursing intervention research and quality of care: influencing the future of healthcare

BACKGROUND: Improvement of healthcare in the United States is a national priority. Nursing intervention science can contribute substantially to addressing this priority. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe strategies needed to maximize the base of nursing intervention science. METHODS: The study involved a review of reports on the state of quality in healthcare and an examination of nurse-led intervention studies funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research aimed at improving healthcare processes and outcomes. RESULTS: Nursing has contributed valuable data regarding the meaning of quality from the perspectives of individuals, families, and communities. Increased efforts are needed to ensure that this science informs ongoing initiatives to define, assess, and improve the quality of healthcare. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-led intervention research is making significant contributions to the advancement of the science underpinning quality healthcare. However, the message regarding the substantive and unique contributions of this body of work needs to be disseminated more broadly. Future nursing intervention research aimed at improving healthcare quality should consider individual behavior in a broader context, extend the traditional foci of interventions, and be grounded in the sciences of multiple disciplines.