The impact of community nurse-led interventions on the need for hospital use among older adults: An integrative review.

Background: Hospital avoidance services are important for older people who risk deteriorating health and independence when in hospital. However, the evidence base for nurse-led community services is equivocal.

Objectives: To determine the impact of community nurse-led interventions on the need for hospital use among older adults.

Tool to assess the cost and quality benefits of nursing innovation.

Understanding the economic value of nursing services in a time of unprecedented public sector cuts is a challenge. The economic assessment tool (EAT) (RCN 2011) has been designed by the authors of the article for this purpose and generates return on investment dividends for nursing innovations and services. The EAT, which is built on the discipline of improvement and uses many of its tools and techniques, involves four stages: mapping, costing, calculating and reporting.