X Glossary

Advocacy: The act or process of pleading for, supporting, or recommending a cause of course of action for individuals, groups, organizations, communities, society, or policy issues.

Collective bargaining: Negotiation of wages and other conditions of employment by an organized body of employees.

Evidence-based practice: Integrating scientific evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.^[1]

Grievance process: A process for resolving disagreements between employees and management.

Informatics: Using information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.^[2]

ISBARR: A mnemonic for the components to include when communicating with another health care team member: Introduction, Situation, Background, Assessment, Request/Recommendations, and Repeat back.

Magnet® Recognition Program: An organizational credential that recognizes quality patient outcomes, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice.

Patient-centered care: The patient is the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.^[3]

Quality improvement: Using data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and using improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.^[4]

Shared governance: A shared leadership model between management and employees working together to achieve common goals.

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): The conditions in the environments where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks.

TeamSTEPPS® (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety): An evidence-based framework to improve client safety through effective communication in health care environments consisting of four core competencies: communication, leadership, situation monitoring, and mutual support.

Teamwork and collaboration: Functioning effectively within nursing and interprofessional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.^[5]

Whistleblower: A person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within an organization.