Semester
Summer
Date of Graduation
2025
Document Type
Problem/Project Report
Degree Type
DNP
College
School of Nursing
Department
Anesthesiology
Committee Chair
Stacy Huber
Committee Member
Heather Moats
Committee Member
Aaron Ostrowski
Abstract
Background: Traditional nursing staffing models used to create patient-care assignments do not account for patient acuity. As patient acuity increases, nurse workload increases. When patient-care assignments do not account for acuity, nurses are unable to provide quality care to patients. Utilizing a patient acuity tool (PAT) has been shown to improve nurse satisfaction and equity in assignments while also enhancing the ability for nurses to provide quality care.
Purpose: The project aims to assess the impact of a PAT to improve nurse satisfaction in equitable patient assignments based on nurse workload and perception of quality of care provided to patients by 25% in a three-month period, following the implementation of a revised PAT.
Intervention: Revise the collection process of previously implemented PAT to include bedside and charge nurses and evaluate improvement by pre-and post-surveys assessing perception of equitable patient assignments and nurse satisfaction. Nursing staff was educated on the revised PAT and collection process.
Methods: This project was conducted on a 24-26 bed medical-surgical long-term antibiotic unit at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Participants included all consented nursing staff on the unit. The IHI model for quality improvement was used to develop and guide the quality improvement project to improve nurse satisfaction.
Results: The post-survey analysis demonstrated over 25% improvement in nurse satisfaction following the PAT intervention in creating equitable patient assignments in nurse workload and improved perception of quality care provided.
Conclusion: The implementation of a unit specific nurse-driven PAT is a cost-effective tool that incorporates input from both bedside nurses’ and charge nurses on patient acuity and workload. A PAT assists in decision-making to create equitable patient assignments in relationship to workload and quality care provided to improve nurse satisfaction.
Recommended Citation
Rodgers, Claire Alexandra, "A Quality Improvement Project to Assess the Impact of a Patient Acuity Tool on Nurse Satisfaction in Equitable Patient Assignments in Nurse Workload and Perceived Quality Care Provided" (2025). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 12928.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/12928