Nurse-Sensitive Indicators (NSI)
Nurse-sensitive indicators are quality metrics that reflect the structure, processes, and outcomes of nursing care — including falls, pressure injuries, and healthcare-associated infections — tracked through NDNQI across more than 2,000 hospitals.
What are Nurse-Sensitive Indicators?
Nurse-sensitive indicators (NSIs) are quality metrics that demonstrate a direct relationship between nursing care processes and patient outcomes — outcomes that improve or deteriorate based on the quantity and quality of nursing care provided. The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI), an ANA-affiliated registry, collects and benchmarks NSIs across more than 2,000 hospitals nationwide. Key NSI categories include: outcome indicators (patient falls — total falls per 1,000 patient days, falls with injury per 1,000 patient days; hospital-acquired pressure injuries — Stage 2+ per 1,000 patient days; CLABSI rate; CAUTI rate), structural indicators (RN hours per patient day, percentage of RN skill mix, total nursing hours per patient day), and process indicators (fall risk assessment completion rate, Braden Scale assessment completion rate). NDNQI participation is required for Magnet Recognition Program designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) — Magnet hospitals must demonstrate performance at or above the mean for selected NSIs. The Joint Commission also recognizes NDNQI participation as evidence supporting accreditation in nursing-sensitive areas. Nurse satisfaction scores, tracked separately through NDNQI, show documented links to staff retention, patient experience, and clinical outcome metrics.
Why It Matters for Healthcare Analytics
NSI performance affects Magnet designation, HAC Reduction Program scoring (falls with injury and HAPIs are HACs), Joint Commission accreditation, and CMS Value-Based Purchasing outcomes. Tracking NSIs at the unit level — by shift and by patient risk category — reveals staffing and process patterns that drive outcomes up or down before adverse events accumulate into reportable rates.
How Vizier Tracks NSIs
Upload your unit-level quality and staffing data and ask "What is our fall rate and HAPI rate per 1,000 patient days by unit this quarter, benchmarked against NDNQI means?" — Vizier calculates NSI rates, identifies high-risk units, and correlates outcomes with staffing ratios and skill mix.