Practice Environment and Patient Outcomes by ANCC Designation: Insights From NDNQI

Objective: This study sought to examine differences in nursing-sensitive patient outcomes among Magnet ® hospitals, Pathway To Excellence ® (PTE) hospitals, and non-American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC ® ) designated hospitals. Background: The ANCC Magnet Recognition Program ® and PTE Program provide frameworks that foster nursing excellence, although limited research has examined the differences of nursing-sensitive patient outcomes among recognition programs. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional comparative analysis was conducted using 2023 data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators ® (NDNQI). Results: Magnet hospitals reported significantly lower fall rates compared with non-ANCC hospitals ( P =0.01). PTE hospitals exhibited significantly lower central line-associated bloodstream infection rates than non-ANCC hospitals ( P <0.04). No statistically significant differences in catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates or hospital-acquired pressure injury prevalence were observed. Conclusions: ANCC designations were inconsistently associated with better nurse-sensitive patient outcomes in this study. The absence of consistent differences across outcomes may reflect unbalanced sample distribution across designation groups in this sample.