Consumers and Certification

As a member of the American Board of Nursing Specialties, ONCB believes the major goal of specialty nursing certification is to improve patient outcomes and promote the safety of health care consumers.

Organizations such as The Joint Commission, the National Quality Forum, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services establish standards of practice and promote evidence-based guidelines that also improve outcomes and promote safety. ONCB urges health care consumers to be knowledgeable regarding the quality efforts of these agencies.

Information can be found on the organizational Web site:

The Joint Commission – National Patient Safety Goals

http://www.jointcommission.org/patientsafety/nationalpatientsafetygoals/

National Quality Forum – NQF-Endorsed Standards

http://www.qualityforum.org/Measures_List.aspx

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – Evidence-Based Practice

http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcix.htm#reports

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – Process of Care Measures

https://www.cms.gov/HospitalQualityInits/18_HospitalProcessOfCareMeasures.asp

ONCB members are interested in consumer feedback on nursing care provided by the board’s certificants. What was your experience as a health care consumer with an ONC, ONP-C, or OCNS-C certificant? Please email oncb@oncb.org with any comments.