Public health nurses’ views on quality measures: A cross-sectional study

Background: The quality indicators program has intended and unintended consequences that may affect nurses’ professional performance and organisational outcomes. Aims: To explore public health nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the nursing-sensitive quality indicators applied in mother–child health clinics and their associations with organisational quality outcomes: quality of care, burnout, and communication. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample. In total, 177 public health nurses completed a self-administered questionnaire measuring their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the quality indicators regarding their performance and organisational outcomes. A structural equation modelling analysis was performed to describe the associations between the variables and to identify the mediating variables. Findings: The structural equation modelling analysis revealed that the intended (positive) impact on the nurse's professional level was the mediating variable between the nurses’ knowledge and attitudes towards the National Health Quality Measure program, their seniority, and the unintended (negative) impact on the nurse's professional level, and the organisational outcomes. Discussion and conclusion: Public health nurses perceive quality indicators as contributing to and improving their professional work, with a positive impact on organisational outcomes. Nursing leaders and policymakers may promote good organisational outcomes by developing methods that will emphasise the importance of quality indicators in nursing practice.