Linking standards of care with nursing quality assurance--the SCORE method.

The SCORE method at Braddock General Hospital was designed as a mechanism for ongoing review and evaluation of nursing care as well as a means of facilitating patient care planning and documentation. Staff nurse input in both the development and the ongoing review and evaluation of each standard has provided the system with increased credibility and accountability among the staff nurses. The close link between NSCC and NQAC has provided the nursing department with a mechanism for monitoring the quality and appropriateness of care provided. The standards of care are continuously reviewed, monitored, and evaluated by NQAC. Based on the results of quarterly reports to the nursing administration, NSCC, and the Hospital Departmental QA Committee, revisions to the standards may be made to reflect current nursing practice. Changes in nursing practice may be mandated, or further evaluation of identified problems may be carried out by NQAC. Thus, the SCORE method has provided a comprehensive, ongoing, monitoring mechanism for nursing care as well as a tool through which changes and improvements in nursing care can be made.