Mapping nurse-sensitive outcomes: Generic and specific measures – A scoping review protocol

Background: The healthcare system is rapidly evolving, making nursing pivotal in ensuring patient outcomes and overall quality of care. NSOs have gained substantial attention for evaluating the impact of nursing interventions on patient health and informing clinical and policy decision-making. Aim: This scoping review aims to map existing research on NSOs to gain a comprehensive understanding of how nursing practices are assessed in hospital settings. Methods: This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines for scoping reviews and be reported according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The protocol is reported in line with Prisma-P. Discussion: Findings will provide researchers and clinicians, with an enhanced understanding of NSOs and contributing to improved patient care, sustained high-quality nursing practices and further research, contributing to e.g. the identification of NSOs that can be employed in economic evaluations. Trial registration: Open Science Framework.