Nursing Innovation and Quality Improvement

As the largest profession in healthcare, nurses are fundamental to high-quality care. There is hardly a patient treatment or intervention that has not been, at some point, delivered or supported by a nurse. The Nursing and Midwifery Council Strategy (2020–2025) and the Future of Nursing (2020–2030) highlight the importance of improvement and innovation, with nurses being advocated as innovators and leaders in healthcare and calling on healthcare systems to support nurses in these roles. 

There has never been a more crucial time to equip nurses with the skills and opportunities to embrace innovation and lead improvements that enhance productivity, improve wellbeing, and positively impact healthcare quality and patient safety. However, creating a culture for innovation and quality improvement (QI) in nursing is not easy; it takes time to develop and requires vision, strategy, support, and resources. Innovators need the space and opportunity to connect with others, brainstorm, discuss, and take risks. Greater engagement of front-line nurses in QI initiatives improves nurse-sensitive indicators; however, the number of nurses involved in QI is still worryingly low. Innovations and improvements led by nurses can make significant contributions to patient care, but the speed of these actions needs to improve if we are to address the global health challenges we face today.