Exploring How Nurse Innovators Define and Measure Impact: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

Aim

This study explored the impact of nurse innovators and how they measure success across academic, industry, and government sectors to enhance understanding of their contributions and outcomes.

Background

While nurses have been driving innovation for centuries, the measurement of nurse‐led advancements remains limited. Too often, the innovative work of nurses fades into the background of international workplace environments.

Method

A qualitative descriptive study involving 31 nurse innovators across academic, industry, and government sectors across the United States was conducted. Using NVivo, data were inductively analyzed following Ritchie and Spencer's framework, providing a systematic and rigorous approach to theme identification.

Results

Nurse innovators in academic, industry, and government settings used research, financial, and scalability methods to measure the use, efficiency, impact, and satisfaction of their innovations. These measures may provide evidence to demonstrate the value and impact of innovation practice for patients, providers, and healthcare systems.

Discussion

These findings support global efforts to strategically design, evaluate, and strengthen innovation initiatives. When healthcare leaders and organizations invest in quantifying nurse‐led innovation, they foster transparency, highlighting its value and impact, while advancing recognition of nursing contributions across diverse innovation ecosystems.

Conclusion

Nurse innovators who broadly disseminate their innovative endeavors will provide strategies for other nurses to emulate and incorporate into their nursing practice. The use of quantitative language related to nurse‐led innovation may garner leadership support and funding for the global advancement of innovative practices.

Implications for Nursing and/or Health Policy

Outcome measures used by nurse innovators can provide organizations, leaders, policy makers, government officials, academics, and innovation experts in cross‐industry settings with the ability to understand, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of nurse‐led innovation endeavors.

1. Introduction

Universally, too often the innovative work of nurses fades invisibly into the background of workplaces. Nurse innovators utilize ideas to create safer and more comfortable environments for patients (Marshall 2019). Although nurses have been innovating for centuries (Beaudet et al. 2023), a confounding lack of awareness and research regarding the work of nurse innovators persists. As nurses are not being utilized to their fullest potential regarding product and service innovation (Roddy and Polfuss 2020), this lack of awareness and utilization may be related to the understanding that innovation is regarded as a difficult concept to measure (OECD 2018). It is vital that nurses, interprofessional healthcare providers, leaders, and the public understand how the work of nurse innovators directly impacts quality measures, patient care, and fiscal outcomes related to innovation practice (Kliger et al. 2010). Empirical data are needed to describe the contributions of nurse innovators across clinical settings, patient populations, geographic locations, and time. With global healthcare leaders serving as key facilitators of innovation, providing nurse innovators with adequate support and resources is vital for progressing innovation measurement. Considered attention is needed to ensure nurse innovators have a transparent and quantifiable methodology in place to meaningfully capture the value and impact of their innovative work. This study explored the impact of nurse innovators and how they measure success across academic, industry, and government sectors to enhance understanding of their contributions and outcomes.

2. Background

Understanding the process of innovation includes identifying how innovation can be enhanced and measured (Gambatese and Hallowell 2011). Lang, a leading authority on nursing standards, stated that “if we cannot name it, we cannot control it, practice it, teach it, finance it, or put it into policy” (Clark and Lang 1992, p. 109). Currently, there is a gap in the international literature on how to describe the measurement, impact, and value of nurse innovators. Without a system in place to capture measurable data related to the work of nurses, it remains challenging to produce evidence of how nurses affect patient outcomes (Beale et al. 2021).

Nurses are perfectly positioned to lead innovation initiatives in their ability to practice across the entire system of healthcare (Raderstorf et al. 2022). As nurses continue to engage in the global innovation environment more broadly, resource and support infrastructures are needed that are linked to academic, industry, and governmental strategies. An important component of an innovation infrastructure is the ability to clearly quantify success and progress. Creating retrievable, shareable, and comparable innovation outcome measures can provide organizations, health care leaders, policy makers, government officials, academics, and innovation experts in international cross‐industry settings with the ability to understand, monitor, and evaluate the effectiveness of innovation contributions. Nurses who are passionate about applying innovative practices to create something new can generate transformative shifts in healthcare (Love et al. 2021).

3. Method

This study explored the value and impact of nurse innovators working in academic, industry, and government settings. A qualitative descriptive study was chosen to understand the contributions of nurse innovators and the outcomes associated with their innovative endeavors. The research question was: How is the work of nurse innovators measured in academic, governmental, and industry settings?

Nurse innovators were recruited to participate in the study via email/social media posts from various avenues, including nursing associations, nursing communities, and social media platforms, including LinkedIn and X (previously Twitter). As research focused on the work of nurse innovators is limited, identifying past and current nurses who identify as innovators remains challenging. A purposive sample of 31 nurse innovators from academic, industry, and government settings was recruited to participate in this study. Nurse innovators working in an academic, government, or industry setting in the United States with a recognized history of innovation, thought leadership or recognition of innovativeness, published research on innovation, courses taught on innovation, new products/processes, or patents created met the inclusion criteria. Additional criteria to participate in the study included nurses who were English speaking, nurses who were willing to be video/ audiotaped, and nurses who were active/retired registered nurses (RN). To protect the anonymity of the study participants, no other demographic data were collected. Confidentiality of study participants was maintained by assigning pseudonym initials.

This study was approved by Northern Illinois University's Institutional Review Board to ensure that ethical research practices were being followed and informed consent was given to each participant to read and sign prior to the interview. The principal investigator (doctoral candidate) conducted interviews under supervision of experienced qualitative researchers. A semi‐structured interview guide was provided to the participant prior to the 40–60‐minute virtual audio‐recorded interview conducted via Zoom. Only the principal investigator and the participant were present during the interview. Interview questions related to the measurement of the work of nurse innovators included but were not limited to the following: (1) Please give me an example of how your innovation adds value to patients and/or the United States health care system (other)? (2) How did you determine that your innovation was successful? and (3) Are there particular areas of your nursing innovation you decided to measure? And how did you measure it? A copy of each transcript was prepared and then emailed to the study participant within one week for review. Each participant was asked to reply to the email and confirm whether the transcript accurately reflected their interview statements.

NVivo, a qualitative analysis software platform, was used for the open coding of transcripts to reduce the data to broad themes (Alam 2021). An inductive approach to data analysis was used guided by Ritchie and Spencer's (1994) framework, which provided a systematic structure to analyze and generate themes. Data analysis included using a continuous and iterative process in which the researcher moved backward and forward between the five stages of analysis, which include (1) familiarization, (2) identifying a thematic framework, (3) indexing, (4) charting, and (5) mapping and interpretation (Ritchie et al. 2014). The first stage, familiarization, was achieved by listening to digital recordings, transcribing the recordings, reading, and re‐reading the transcribed interview data. The second stage, identifying a thematic framework, was achieved by categorizing the codes identified in the first stage and reordering and organizing them into theme categories in a way that made sense to further the analysis of the data. The third stage, indexing, involved breaking down the restructured themes into subthemes from the previous stage to offer a more in‐depth understanding of the participants’ responses. The fourth stage, charting, included moving back and forward with the data to provide a synthesis of the content. The fifth and final stage, mapping and interpretation, included revisiting the study's research questions, examining existing patterns that existed in relation to participant responses, and confirming the final main themes and subthemes. The relevant EQUATOR guidelines (i.e., COREQ checklist Appendix A) were completed for this study.

4. Findings

Nurse innovators in academic, industry, and government settings used various methods to measure the use, efficiency, scalability, impact, and satisfaction of their innovations. Outcome measures associated with innovative initiatives provide evidence to demonstrate the value and impact of innovation practice for patients, providers, and healthcare systems. Selected quotations are presented, including those illustrated in tables, to amplify the voices of nurse innovators and provide nuanced insight into their experiences and perspectives. Nurse innovators working in academic, industry, and government settings had distinct ways in which they approached innovation measurement in their various workplace settings. Because innovative practice is unique, so are the methods used to measure and describe the outcomes of an innovation.

4.1. Academic Settings

Nurse innovators working in academic settings described measurements in terms of the impact that innovation education, referred to as rings of activation, had on nursing students. As more nurses engage in innovation education, a ripple effect may occur, as one nurse shared:

I personally don't measure things other than rings; I would say rings of activation. (AM)

Nurse innovators used measurements to describe the uptake of their innovation thought leadership through platforms such as Google Scholar, which provided an avenue to track dissemination and capture the viewership or reach of innovation‐related information.

I have a Google Scholar profile, which tracks all my citation indexes, and there is a lot now happening with bibliometrics in terms of h‐index scores and citation index scores. I think those are some metrics to see how diffused it is and how people are using it. (XA)

4.2. Industry Settings

Nurse innovators working in industry settings described the measurement of innovation practice as scalability, return on investment, and bringing joy back to the bedside. Nurses who participated in innovative initiatives were thrilled to have an outlet to express their creative ideas and foster retention.

I think for me, it is bringing joy back to the bedside. And what I love about this is that they want to stay at the bedside if they have this creative outlet. So, we really need to be thinking about that because we need nurses at the bedside. (DJ)

It transitioned into very significant measurable outcomes when it started to gain national attention. And those doors that were once closed began to open. (DW)

Nurse innovators in industry settings that focus on nursing staffing used measurements related to how quickly the company was able to fill a vacant nursing position. This key performance indicator could serve as a forecasting variable for the effectiveness of certain talent strategies.

There's a couple of metrics, so one is what we call time to fill. So, how fast from the job being posted to having the right nurse, not just a warm body but the right nurse in that seat so that'd be time to fill. (CM)

4.3. Government Settings

Nurse innovators in government settings described nursing involvement in innovation practice as a measure that may lead to increased community involvement, political participation, program implementation, and volunteerism. The number of nurses who identify as innovators was described as an important metric to quantify the uptake of innovation within the nursing profession. Nurse innovators defined the measurement of innovation in terms of advocacy, inclusion, and accountability. Examples were shared by one nurse.

The result of that could be more nurses deciding to run for office. Or it could be more people volunteering to serve on advisory committees and just being involved. Being active in the space, seeing themselves, and knowing that they belong and that they are adding value. It's hard to conceptualize, but that's a culture change that I think is an important side of innovation. (TF)

Engaging members of Congress in innovation initiatives created by nurse innovators was described as an important arena for dissemination. Government entities that support innovation endeavors through policy, passing legislation, and financial support are crucial for the sustainability of innovative programs. One nurse innovator described the engagement.

I go to Congress; we have lobby days where we make sure that the people who are on committees that are over Medicare and also the committee's that are on appropriations know about our program. (LC)

4.4. Research Metrics

Nurse innovators working in academic, industry, and government settings employed a wide variety of research methodologies to yield evidence related to their innovative endeavors. Leading and participating in research studies was an avenue for many nurse innovators to begin their innovation journey. Nurse innovators spent an extensive time examining the larger healthcare ecosystem to comprehend the multitude of components that influence the uptake of an innovative initiative. Interprofessional healthcare providers, industry experts, and representatives from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) participated in innovative nursing research.

Gathering insights and feedback during focus groups was mentioned by several nurse innovators as a vital step during the design process of an innovation. AB testing is a user experience research methodology used to compare two versions of a single variable to determine which version is more effective. Nurse innovators described the process of incorporating AB testing into their innovative initiatives. A proof of concept is an exercise used to determine whether an idea can be turned into a reality. Nurse innovators shared their ability to use proof‐of‐concept methodologies to help launch startup companies.

Nurse innovators used randomized controlled trials to examine the implementation of a healthcare model and its impact on rehospitalization rates. Usability scales were used as a mechanism to observe individuals interacting with an innovation and are important because the measurement results help nurse innovators understand if there are any problems with the design of the innovation. Table 1 offers quotes that give voice to how nurse innovators used various research measures to support innovation outcomes.

TABLE 1.

Research measurements.

Research	And really, in research, something's always supposed to be new, the NIH [National Institutes of Health] does not fund something that already exists. So, I think in research, we're always innovating. (LC)
Pretest–posttest	There were 32 nurses, and I did a pretest/ post test control experimental design group. And no big surprise, when people are exposed to creative thinking strategies as heuristic devices to help them think about things in a new and different way, they are more creative. (XA)
Interviews	We ended up doing 150 interviews with clinicians, not to mention the industry experts and the FDA, over the course of a couple years to really kind of map out the healthcare ecosystem. (KD)
Focus groups	And so, the team had a rough prototype or an idea. We [the engineers and me] ran focus groups to give feedback to the engineers to improve the designs. (PZ)
AB testing	And then, when we launch it, we usually AB test it to see the control group versus the intervention group how it's working. And then, if it does work, we roll it out and see if we did meet the expectation of our original plans. (BQ)
Proof of concept	Learning about the science behind innovation there, where I helped bring startup companies into a large health system and proofs of concept testing. (CM)
Randomized controlled trial	However, if you prevent expensive rehospitalizations, you save money overall. There is a 30–50% reduction in rehospitalizations using our model and a net savings of approximately $4,500 per patient within five to twelve months after the patient was discharged. (GE)
Delphi study	We had six hospitals that helped us with piloting the survey with their graduate nurses. And then we did a Delphi study, so it's content validity index we've done two rounds to really perfect those questions. (EU)
Usability testing and usability scales	There's something called usability trials that can actually be measured through surveys, that's very common in the medical device industry, and it's usually on the back end of product development. So oftentimes, the devices are made, and then a nurse hasn't seen it, and then all of a sudden it gets to usability, and they're like, oh, shoot, this is not designed for what we need. I use the QUEST 2.0 (Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology). It's a nice, short, eight‐item usability tool. And the UEQ (User Experience Questionnaire) in our studies. (PZ)
Pilot test	I think innovation success should be measured differently over time, depending on the project. So, is it feasible at first? Can we pilot it? Does it have at least some initial value that might contribute to whether that's improving patient outcomes. (VO)

4.5. Financial Metrics

Financial metrics are used by nurse innovators to measure the cost‐effectiveness, the generation of income, and the return on investment of innovative endeavors. Measuring cost was noted by several nurse innovators to analyze the effectiveness of an innovation. The implementation of innovative care models was associated with added value to patients, health care providers, and the healthcare system. Collaborating with financial experts was described as imperative by several nurse innovators. Several nurse innovators expressed the view that while innovations can improve patient outcomes, they must also demonstrate cost savings to be considered truly effective.

Innovation as a revenue‐generating entity was discussed by participants who measured the sales of their innovation. Many nurse innovators stated that the validation of their product was largely determined by the number of sales as well as meeting the needs of the patients. Demonstrating a return on investment (ROI) was discussed as a necessary means to capture the longitudinal investment of an innovation. Table 2 presents representative quotes from nurse innovators that highlight the role of financial metrics in evaluating the value and outcomes of innovation initiatives.

TABLE 2.

Financial measurements.

Cost analysis	And so, what we did that was super innovative; we decided to measure cost. Not just are you doing a good thing? But is this model more expensive? less expensive? does it save money? What does it do? So, from the very beginning, we had a health care economist at Wharton as part of our team, and he really has helped us into having a real cost analysis model. (GE)
Cost savings	It has been really important for me to look at cost as well. I thought we would be lucky if we broke even, but it turns out the program saves seven to ten times what it costs. If we hadn't measured that, we wouldn't know that, and we wouldn't have so much growth. This program or other behavioral interventions are held to a higher standard that they actually have to save money rather than just improve people's lives. (LC) How cost‐effective can you be by taking that talent and placing it in the right place, and not have all these extra dollars around onboarding. (CM) We are helping and advocating for our patients, and we're not costing money as far as litigation and lawsuits. Once again, it goes back to providing resources for returning to society and creating opportunities for our patients. (UB)
Revenue generating	It made a ton of money, millions. Money is not the only way to determine value, but it's a really important one. Generally, the one factor that if your innovation is going to succeed, it better have some value. (HN) I would love to get compassion to the same level of the table. To say, why is compassion training important? Because we can increase hospital margins. And here's a very specific series of data points that shows how that will actually not save you money but generate more income. (RD) So, the ultimate thing is that it sells. That is the validation that the value proposition that we've been developing actually does meet the need. (KD)
ROI	It can also be an ROI exercise. In terms of this is the money that I spent over this period of time. Here's the value that I've derived based on that money that I've spent, and also its snapshots in time. But it also has to reflect the longitudinal nature to show that ongoing value because hopefully, at some point, you've broken even and can actually show positive value. (IO) I think nurse residency programs add value because we can document a reduced turnover rate. I think it adds value to patients in that we are reducing turnover by our programs. (EU)

4.6. Scalability Metrics

Scaling innovation is the process that leads to the widespread use of an innovation to maximize the impact of the innovation. Scaling is a conscious choice used by many nurse innovators to systematically clarify, expand, and sustain their innovation. Scaling out incorporates the geographical or demographic expansion of an innovation to a larger audience and encompasses moving from smaller market segments toward the mainstream market.

As nurse innovators engaged more in speaking about an innovation, user engagement increased. National engagement was discussed by several nurse innovators as a milestone of recognition. When users engage with innovative endeavors on a national level, nurse innovators are viewed as experts in innovative practice. End‐user feedback was a means of garnering a wide range of ideas to improve innovations. Improvements to innovation were initiated when consistent feedback from many users was received.

Replication may involve taking an innovation and maximizing its outcomes by implementing it in a new way and with new populations. Nurse innovators shared the importance of disseminating evidence and the various mechanisms used to disseminate evidence, including publications, presentations, podcasts, marketing, social media platforms, news outlets, hackathons, press conferences, talk shows, videos, textbooks, and speaking with colleagues about innovation initiatives. Included in Table 3 are quotes from nurse innovators giving examples of scaling out through engagement, replication, and dissemination.

TABLE 3.

Scaling measurements.

Engagement	We had automated our system and watching hospitals from all over the country start to come in and download our materials. It was incredible when gradually you have people reach out to you from the World Health Organization and the State Department's. And they recognize you as this person who knows more than anybody else about it. (RA) I think that measurement will be engagement, it's people asking for me to speak about it more or write about it more. (RD) We track the number of people who use our surveys. We have a website, and we do track people. (EU) We look at patient engagement. Getting patients and caregivers engaged in their health. Also, engaging members of the health care team and everyone else. (GE) Without asking, my peers implemented the practice. And they took it on, and it became part of their practice. And it's now being practiced around the country and around the world. (FY)
End‐user feedback	Customer feedback, user groups. Definitely, something that we're doing a lot with facilities and clients surveys. I guess interventions are typically really from our client feedback. And it's, of course, it's important not just to get one client feedback but a broad base of client feedback to make sure that you're not just jumping on the first thing that somebody says. (BQ) We do get just a lot of feedback from the participants as far as what is it that you need? Because I think many times, they need to tell us what they need. It's easy for us to assume what they need. (MT)
Replication	And she started a program of research looking at that population, and what she did that was so innovative is took an idea that really someone else had successfully used but totally flipped it to a different population. (GE) And then you see other organizations trying to get into the innovation space, and you think, well, is it a competition, or maybe it's a good thing that they're trying to copy you. (DJ)
Dissemination	I do a lot of it through publications, social media, and books, so that's kind of the main three drivers for me. Most recently, it's been through podcasting and so, kind of chatting with different innovators across healthcare and learning from them and then sharing. (CM) I launched a press conference. (DW) I present at conferences all over the place. And I think a lot of the dissemination happens as we roll out new products. (WR)

5. Discussion

One of the guiding questions of this study was what metrics/outcome measures do nurse innovators identify as relevant or useful to evaluate innovation success? Nurse innovators evaluated innovation success by conducting scientific research and incorporating various scales of measurement. Brunson (2021) states, “Innovation is the thoughtful integration of science to have a positive impact on outcomes” (Brunson 2021, p. 25). Innovations such as the process of proning gained support and traction based on the research conducted by Margaret A. Piehl. Margaret, an ICU nurse, noticed that when patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) were placed in the prone position, their oxygenation improved. She conducted an observational study that included five patients with ARDS and outlined the effects of extreme position changes on arterial oxygenation (Piehl and Brown 1976) in a seminal paper published in Critical Care Medicine. Nurse innovators who conducted research and used scales of measurement to measure their innovations stated improved success with innovation adoption into the healthcare environment. These findings are important as adopters, particularly early adopters, are viewed as the champions of change and may influence colleagues to adopt innovations sooner. As healthcare leaders are usually involved as key decision‐makers during the innovation process, increased support for research initiatives will be imperative to measure and demonstrate innovation impact.

A significant finding in this study includes the ability of nurse innovators to demonstrate innovation impact by measuring financial outcomes. Similarly, healthcare organizations that provide resources and support for nurses with innovative ideas might incur a financial benefit. A study by Emiralioglu and Sonmez (2021) found a significant correlation between the nursing work environment and innovation support with innovation behaviors and outputs. Additionally, a recent study by O'Hara et al. (2025) found an association related to cultures of innovation and clinician well‐being outcomes, which may lead to reduced turnover and increased cost savings.

Examples of innovative models, such as CHOPtimize, a nurse‐led initiative originating from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, focused on bedside financial stewardship and achieved more than $18 million in expense reductions in one year. Nurse‐led innovative models like CHOPtimize provide insight into the importance of cost‐effective innovations that maximize the potential for employee participation (Agosto et al. 2020). Wendy Wright, a nurse practitioner, created an innovative solution to patient care delivery by opening a primary care clinic entirely owned and operated by nurse practitioners, costing health insurance organizations $60 less per month when compared with physician‐operated clinics (Love et al. 2021). This study found that nurse innovators who were able to quantify cost savings or revenue generation stated an increased ability to gain momentum and support for their innovation. As the roles of nurses continue to diversify and broaden internationally (Maier et al. 2022), incorporating business acumen inclusive of financial measures during the early stages of the innovation process will create future pathways toward the advancement of nurse‐led innovations.

Nurse innovators were intentional in broadly scaling their work through dissemination, replication, and engagement. Advancing the nursing profession relies significantly on healthcare experts sharing their stories (Raderstorf et al. 2022). Nurse innovators described dissemination in terms of speaking to colleagues. Sharing innovative initiatives and ideas among colleagues promoted support and recognition of innovative practice. Nurses engaged in national press conferences, lobbying events, podcasts, and social media to share their innovative practices. Beyond nursing journals, nurse innovators contributed to publications in business, engineering, and computer science fields and attended conferences outside traditional nursing spaces to broaden awareness of their innovation and gain credibility. As Sensmeier highlighted, fresh possibilities arise when nurses gather feedback both within and beyond their established networks (Sensmeier 2021). Nurse innovators measured user engagement as a method of comparison against competing innovations and tracked how often their innovations were replicated in alternate environments and patient populations to accurately quantify impact. Far too often, nurses engage in parallel innovations; similar innovative initiatives that are being worked on simultaneously around the world. As nurses continue to broadly disseminate their work, nationally and internationally, inefficient and time‐consuming parallel innovation practices may be alleviated.

5.1. Limitations

This study has some noteworthy limitations. Only nurse innovators with a recognized history of innovation were included, which may have limited the range of perspectives represented. Including nurses who have not yet been formally recognized as innovators could have provided additional insight into the early stages and challenges of the innovation process. The inclusion criteria of this study limited the perspective of nurse innovators to RNs. Licensed practical nurses have contributed to innovative practices and initiatives and could inform on innovative practices within the profession of nursing. Virtual interviews were conducted, which led to the feasibility of participation but may have prevented the researcher from visualizing nurse innovators in their natural field settings. Finally, all nurse innovators who participated in this study were based in the United States. This represents a limitation, as the findings reflect the perspectives of nurses working within a single national context. Including international nurse innovators could have enriched the study by offering diverse cultural, organizational, and systemic viewpoints, thereby deepening the global relevance and applicability of the findings.

6. Implications for Nursing and Health Policy

As stated in The Future of Nursing 2020–2030: Report, “nurses have a critical role to play in achieving the goal of health equity” (NASEM 2021, p. 4). This study provides a deeper understanding of the impact of nurse innovators and how they measure success, which supports the critical role that nurses assume globally as health equity advocates, problem solvers, idea generators, and transdisciplinary collaborators across healthcare ecosystems. The further cultivation of innovation methodologies, measurement, and entrepreneurial skills will equip current and future nurses with the ability to adapt to complex, ethical, and evolving work environments (Monteagudo et al. 2025). The COVID‐19 pandemic, for example, created an opportunity for nurses to positively impact their work environment by creating innovation solutions during a time when existing policies, norms, and regulations were no longer relevant (de Vos et al. 2024). As nurse innovators continue to leverage innovation methodologies and empirically demonstrate their value, healthcare innovation will be widely viewed as a necessary factor in the transformation of global healthcare ecosystems (Raghavan 2025).

7. Conclusion

Innovation may be considered the engine of scientific progress, driving nurses and the profession toward global exploration and examination of new possibilities. Nurse leaders who leverage opportunities for the advancement of innovation measurement provide quantifiable data to demonstrate the impact and value of innovative endeavors. Nurses who engage in tracking metrics, including increases in efficiency, cost savings, and patient satisfaction, create extraordinary value for the global healthcare ecosystem. The findings of this study offer a strategic foundation for designing, measuring, implementing, and evaluating innovation in healthcare. They hold relevance for international cross‐industry collaborators, interprofessional care teams, policymakers, healthcare leaders, and both current and emerging nurse innovators. As nurse‐led innovation continues to be assessed for impact and value, its potential to drive transformative changes across the global healthcare ecosystem becomes increasingly essential.

Author Contributions

Study design: OL and JR. Data collection: OL. Data analysis: OL, JR, SS. Study supervision: JR. Manuscript writing: OL, JR, SS. Critical revisions: OL, JR, SS.

Funding

The authors have nothing to report.

Ethics Statement

Northern Illinois University Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety approved this study (HS21‐0208) on January 14, 2021.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors assert that they have no conflicts of interest.