Shepherd Center’s Nursing Staff Lauded by American Nurses Association

ATLANTA - (Feb. 9, 2009) - Shepherd Center's nursing staff has received one of the highest awards for quality that is given by the American Nurses Association (ANA).

Shepherd Center received the 2008 NDNQI Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality™ in the category for Rehabilitation Hospitals. Shepherd earned the top spot among a number of rehabilitation hospitals from across the nation.

The National Database for Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) was established in 1998 as part of ANA’s Safety and Quality Initiative and is part of the National Center for Nursing Quality (NCNQ). The program collects nursing-sensitive data affecting patient outcomes with the goals of providing comparative information to health care facilities, and developing national data on the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. NDNQ reports on indicators such as staff mix, patient falls, and nurse satisfaction on a unit-by-unit basis.

Shepherd Center is one of more than 1,400 hospitals that reports nursing-sensitive data affecting patient outcomes. The NDNQI analyzes this data to determine which hospitals have the overall best nursing quality. One hospital is selected from each of six categories: Academic Medical Center; Teaching Hospital; Community Hospital; Pediatric Hospital; Psychiatric Hospital; and Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Rehabilitation Hospital award was presented to Shepherd Center during the NDNQ annual conference in January.

“It is an honor for our nurses to be recognized in any way by the ANA, but even more so when we are acknowledged for something we consider to be a part of our everyday nursing practice at Shepherd Center,” said Tammy King, Shepherd Center’s chief nurse executive. “Our nurses strive to provide the highest quality of nursing care possible daily.”

ANA established the National Center for Nursing Quality. NDNQI is part of this initiative and is managed by the University of Kansas School of Nursing under contract to ANA. The goals are to address patient safety and quality in nursing care and nurses' work lives. The center advocates for nursing quality through quality measurement, novel research, and collaborative learning. The Center addresses issues such as nursing shortages and the national healthcare system.