THE RELATIONSHIP OF HOSPITAL PROCESS VARIABLES TO PATIENT OUTCOME POSTMYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

This study examined the hospital process variables of nursing care, me dical care, information, and hospital environment, as evaluated by pat ients, in relation to their outcome post-myocardial infarction (MI). T he sample included 68 hospitalized men and women, aged 29-92, who were diagnosed with an MI, At the time of discharge, they responded to fou r subscales of the Patient Judgment of Hospital Quality Questionnaire, which measured the hospital process variables, and the Revised Haussm an and Hegyvary Outcome Criteria Instrument for Acute Myocardial Infar ction, which measured patient outcome post-MI, Data also were collecte d from patient charts and nurses. Correlational analyses revealed stat istically significant relationships between nursing care and patient o utcome, and between hospital environment and patient outcome; neither medical care nor information correlated appreciably with patient outco me post-MI. Regression analysis indicated that nursing care was the on ly significant predictor of patient outcome post-MI.