The evaluation of evidence-informed changes to an internationally educated nurse registration process.

AIM: To evaluate effectiveness of specific policy and practice changes to the process of registration for internationally educated nurses. BACKGROUND: Little research exists to inform registration policy for internationally educated health professionals. INTRODUCTION: Internationally educated nurse employment can help address nursing shortages. Regulators assess competencies for equivalency to Canadian-educated nurses, but differences in health systems, education and practice create challenges. METHODS: The study setting was a Canadian province. We used a mixed methods approach, with a pre-post-quasi-experimental design and a qualitative evaluation. Previous analysis of relationships between applicant variables, registration outcomes and timelines informed changes to our registration process. Implementation of these changes composes the intervention. Comparisons between pre- and post-implementation exemplar subgroups and timeline analyses were conducted using descriptive statistics, univariate analysis and non-parametric tests. Data were collected from complete application files before (n = 426) and after (n = 287) implementation of the intervention. Interviews, focus groups and consultations were completed with various stakeholders. FINDINGS: The time between steps in the process was significantly reduced following implementation. Stakeholders reported an increase in perceived efficiency, transparency and use of evidence. DISCUSSION: Results indicated that initial impacts of the policy changes streamlined the process for applicants and staff. CONCLUSION: Maintaining a consistent and systematic review of an organization's data coupled with implementation of findings to effect policy and practice change may have an important impact on regulatory policy. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY: These findings represent the beginning of an international policy conversation. Policy changes based on organizational data can underlie major process improvement initiatives. Ongoing nursing shortages across the globe and increasing mobility of nurses make it important to have efficient and transparent regulatory policy informed by evidence.

Wisdom within: unlocking the potential of big data for nursing regulators.

AIM: This paper explores the potential for incorporating big data in nursing regulators' decision-making and policy development. Big data, commonly described as the extensive volume of information that individuals and agencies generate daily, is a concept familiar to the business community but is only beginning to be explored by the public sector. BACKGROUND: Using insights gained from a recent research project, the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta, in Canada is creating an organizational culture of data-driven decision-making throughout its regulatory and professional functions. The goal is to enable the organization to respond quickly and profoundly to nursing issues in a rapidly changing healthcare environment. SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: The evidence includes a review of the Learning from Experience: Improving the Process of Internationally Educated Nurses' Applications for Registration (LFE) research project (2011-2016), combined with a literature review on data-driven decision-making within nursing and healthcare settings, and the incorporation of big data in the private and public sectors, primarily in North America. DISCUSSION: This paper discusses experience and, more broadly, how data can enhance the rigour and integrity of nursing and health policy. CONCLUSION: Nursing regulatory bodies have access to extensive data, and the opportunity to use these data to inform decision-making and policy development by investing in how it is captured, analysed and incorporated into decision-making processes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: Understanding and using big data is a critical part of developing relevant, sound and credible policy. Rigorous collection and analysis of big data supports the integrity of the evidence used by nurse regulators in developing nursing and health policy.