The Medical Outcomes Study: a nursing perspective

The authors analyze the Medical Outcomes Study framework as a means of measuring the effectiveness of a multidimensional, interdisciplinary health care delivery system. The potential for this model to measure outcomes resulting from the interventions of nurses is demonstrated. The similarities between variables in the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) framework and in research in nursing are presented. Modifications in the framework are suggested that would represent the collaboration among physicians, nurses, and allied health practitioners and the influence of their interaction on patient outcomes. The authors also suggest adding the domain of societal outcomes to include such outcome variables as cost. These modifications will enhance future health outcomes research based on the MOS conceptual framework and will encourage investigations of the interactive effects of health care providers on patient outcomes.