Tools for Implementing Effectiveness Research, Quality Improvement Activities, and Program Evaluation

A conceptualization of the research or evaluation as described in Chaps. 2 and 3 provides the basis for operationalizing the Problem-Intervention-Outcome Meta-Model (PIO MM) for intervention effectiveness research, quality improvement activities, and program evaluation. This operationalization requires measures, data, and software. In this chapter, checklists for obtaining new or existing data for operationalizing PIO MM are provided for two situations, new data that will be collected prospectively, and reusing existing data. Nursing’s robust standardized terminologies are described, with emphasis on the Omaha System as an exemplar for all terminologies. The use of large datasets is described, as well as its unique contribution to the examination of interventions and outcomes is discussed.