Brigham and Women’s Hospital Receives Magnet Designation

In May 2018, Brigham and Women’s Hospital received the prestigious Magnet designation, which is considered the gold standard of nursing excellence and high-quality patient care delivered by an entire institution.

The Brigham joined 8 percent of hospitals in the nation that have achieved Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association.

The hospital’s journey to Magnet included the documentation and submission of an impressive body of evidence with 75 examples that show how the Brigham meets Magnet’s 49 standards. A four-day site visit from Magnet appraisers came in March 2018, during which nurses and other staff spoke about the work they do each day in collaboration with their colleagues throughout the hospital.

More than 240 nurses served as Magnet champions and played a vital role in preparing the hospital by educating others about Magnet and why BWH is deserving of this recognition.

“Our Magnet champions led the entire hospital on our journey, drawing staff from different units and departments closer together and creating positive energy that truly united all of us,” said Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Services Maddy Pearson, DNP, RN, NEA-BC.

Magnet matters to staff, patients and prospective employees for many reasons. Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:

• Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information
• Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions

The Brigham was praised for three exemplars within its body of evidence, which means that the hospital has gone above best practice in these areas:

1. The Frailty Identification and Care Pathway: Half of the hospital’s trauma patients are ages 65 and older, and a multidisciplinary team from the Division of Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care set out to identify ways to improve outcomes for these patients. Their efforts have resulted in a 30 percent decrease in risk-adjusted mortality; a 47 percent decrease in the major complications rate; and a decrease in the absolute delirium incidence rate from 50 percent to 26 percent.
2. Response to National Shortage of IV-administered Opioids: The hospital’s response and leadership yielded excellent patient outcomes and demonstrated incredible teamwork.
3. Ethics Committee: The accessibility of ethics resources, including the multidisciplinary Ethics Committee, for clinical nurses is a shining example of interprofessional teamwork and the support available to nurses throughout the Brigham.

“Magnet designation is so meaningful because it recognizes the work we do together as a team each day at Brigham and Women’s Hospital,” said Brigham Health President Betsy Nabel, MD.