Magnet hospitals nurse their way to the highest level of patient care

Brought to you by MERCY HEALTH

Nurses matter, plain and simple.

Numerous studies validate the fact that hospitals with the best nurses literally experience better patient outcomes. There’s a direct correlation.

The better outcomes bear themselves out in lower mortality rates, shorter hospital stays, fewer infections and readmissions, and many other patient-centric barometers.

So the question becomes, “What makes a nurse a ‘good’ nurse?” Isn’t that subjective?

In fact it’s not. There’s an international measure called Magnet Recognition Program that objectively judges and rates nursing performance at healthcare organizations against a defined set of standards.

These standards are set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, an organization that recognizes where professional nursing practices flourish and patient outcomes are excellent.

“Magnet Recognition is the most prestigious designation in nursing,” said Barbra Turner, Magnet program director at Mercy Health – Youngstown. “It’s difficult to attain, and can be difficult to keep.”

Only 477 hospitals in the world and 18 hospital systems in the country – Mercy Health – Youngstown among them – hold the designation as Magnet facilities. All three Mahoning Valley acute care centers – St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Warren – collectively hold the distinction.

Magnet Recognition is bestowed every four years – Mercy Health – Youngstown received its first in 2002 – but each year there are mini audits and required reporting that needs to be completed to maintain the designation.

“Magnet is alive and well within our organization. It’s not something we only think about every four years, rather, it’s part of our culture,” Turner said.

The recognition program was born out of nursing research and traces its beginnings to the 1980s when the American Academy of Nursing identified work environments that attracted and retained the best nurses at a time of a widespread nursing shortage.

Hospitals that were performing the best were identified as the first Magnet institutions for their ability to attract quality nurses. The characteristics that distinguished these institutions from others were known as “Forces of Magnetism.” These forces serve the basis for what criteria are used today to evaluate nursing best practices.

Identified qualities include professional development, leadership, quality of care, community service, interdisciplinary relationships and others.

One specific example of exemplary performance at Mercy Health involved a nurse at St. Elizabeth Boardman who identified a need in the community for patients undergoing chemotherapy. She wanted to offer comfort items and snacks for chemo recipients who may have been scared or not realized what to expect with treatment.

“It was a great idea, and a rather simple one, but to implement it took some legwork, funding and approvals,” Turner said. “She took on that initiative to see it through and wrote a grant to our foundation, which was supported, and now she’s implementing the chemo comfort packs to our patients.”

Turner said this is the type of scenario that Magnet was created to recognize. It’s about the clinical nurses at the bedside having a voice about their practices and implementing programs that improve patient outcomes.

For a list of Magnet designated organizations, visit nursingworld.org or your hospital’s website to see if it promotes itself as a Magnet hospital.