Outcomes of nursing care: how do we know?

Nurses have become increasingly interested and involved in the area of outcomes to assure that the patient is represented as more than a composite of physiological variables. The use of outcome measures has helped nurses articulate their unique value and contribution to the well being of patients. Nevertheless, many measures presently used to evaluate an outcome do not identify or acknowledge the unique contribution of nurses. Clinical nurse specialists and other advanced practice nurses must use their "ways of knowing" to develop appropriate measures and outcomes. Through this careful inquiry, nurses will then be equipped to ask "nurse-driven" questions regarding the development of appropriate outcomes and outcome measures and to analyze the models in which care is presently delivered.