Nurses comprise the largest group of health care
providers in both the public and private sectors. In addition, patients
have more contact with professional nurses than any other health care
provider. As nurses are a vital component of the health care delivery
system, it is appropriate that nursing reaffirms its purpose as a
research discipline in assisting patients achieve positive health care
outcomes.
A significant nursing shortage combined with severe
economic constraints of funding available for health care has prompted
concern in the nursing community regarding patient safety and the
quality of care provided to patients in hospitals.
There is a critical need for more definitive data to document the
link between nursing interventions, staffing levels and patient outcomes. The need to
define quality of nursing care and to determine how it is measured is urgent.
Evidence-based Nursing Practice (EBNP) combines the best scientific
evidence from nursing and other research with the special clinical perspective of nurses
in performing the full range of patient care activities. Nurses who use EBNP in their
delivery of care demonstrate greater satisfaction with work experiences. In addition,
patients receive higher quality of nursing care.
To meet this need, the UNMH Nursing Research Department
provides valuable services for research endeavors including literature
reviews, HRRC applications, proposal writing, grand funding, data collection,
data analysis and administration of research projects. The focus is patient
centered and is interdisciplinary in nature.
The EBNP programs that were accomplished in 2006 included
the HRRC approved studies: Patient Safety – 4S, LAUNCH – MICU & NSI, Pressure
Ulcers – TSI, Influenza Vaccine outcomes – UNMH, Motivational Interviewing on
Substance Abuse – UNMH.
