Using registry nurses: coping with cost and quality issues.
If a nursing service uses agency nurses to help cope with staff shortages, the nursing administrator must manage the cost and quality of care delivered by these nurses. The authors describe their hospital's system for using agency nurses. The components of their system--an orientation program, contracts with the agencies, and systematic performance evaluation--can be used or adapted in other institutions.
D002140:California; D003284:Contract Services / Q000191:economics; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006746:Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over; D007318:Inservice Training; D009731:Nursing Audit; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D010559:Personnel Management / Q000379:methods*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000379:methods*; D012042:Registries; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D000078329:Workforce