Quality care metrics (QC-M) in nursing and midwifery care processes: a rapid realist review (RRR) protocol

In 2018, the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD) completed phase one of work which culminated in the development and launch of seven research reports with defined suites of quality care process metrics (QC-Ms) and respective indicators for the practice areas - acute care, midwifery, children's, public health nursing, older persons, mental health and intellectual disability nursing in Ireland. This paper presents a rapid realist review protocol that will systematically review the literature that examines QC-M in practice; what worked, or did not work for whom, in what contexts, to what extent, how and why? The review will explore if there are benefits of using the QC-Ms and what are the contexts in which these mechanisms are triggered. The essence of this rapid realist review is to ascertain how a change in context generates a particular mechanism that produces specific outcomes. A number of steps will occur including locating existing theories on implementation of quality care metrics, searching the evidence, selecting relevant documents, data extraction, validation of findings, synthesising and refining programme theory. This strategy may help to describe potential consequences resulting from changes in context and their interactions with mechanisms. Initial theories will be refined throughout the process by the local reference panel, comprised of eight key intervention stakeholders, knowledge users such as healthcare professionals and an expert panel. Ethical approval is not required for this rapid realist review. It is anticipated that the final programme theory will help to explain how QC-Ms work in practice; for whom, why and in what circumstances. Findings of this review could help to give insights into realism as a framework and how nursing and midwifery QC-Ms have been implemented previously.