| Principal Investigator Dr. Bonnie Westra and co-investigator Dr. Donna Bliss and biostatistician Ms. Kay Savik |
WOCN Awards Research Grant to U of M School of Nursing
Largest Study Ever on WOC Nurse Care
Contact:
Linda Woody, 856-642-4420, lwoody@ahint.com
Aneisha Tucker, 612-626-1817, tucke127@umn.edu
MOUNT LAUREL, NJ (January 12, 2010) - The Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN) is pleased to announce it has awarded a research grant to a team of investigators at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of WOC specialty nursing practice on the quality and cost of care. Findings will also describe the contributions of WOC nurses to the U.S. Health Care System, and serve as a model of outcomes research related to specialty nursing practice.
“This is the largest known study to document the contributions of WOC nurses. We are thrilled to be working with the University of Minnesota, and excited at the prospect of sharing results with our members,” said Dr. Phyllis Bonham, of the Medical University of South Carolina and WOCN Society President. “By evaluating the effectiveness of WOC nurses to prevent and manage wounds, continence and UTI, findings of this study have the potential to validate the great value and need for WOC nurses.”
The primary objective of the research study is to determine if care delivered by WOC specialty nurses improves patient outcomes. By examining over one million episodes of care, the specific aims of the study are to:
- Compare the prevalence/incidence of pressure ulcers, stasis ulcers, surgical wounds, urinary/bowel incontinence, and urinary tract infections (UTI) at the beginning and after an episode of care within and across agencies with and without WOC nurses.
- Compare differences in patient outcomes in pressure ulcers, stasis ulcers, surgical wounds, urinary/bowel incontinence, and urinary tract infections (UTI) for patients and agencies with and without WOC nurses.
This study represents the largest initiative undertaken by the WOCN to advocate on its members’ behalf. The study will address multiple outcome measures relevant to WOC nurse’s practice, including fewer wound complications, increased percentage/number of wounds improved or healed, decreased length of time to healing, less emergent care/hospitalizations for wound infection and improvement, stabilization, or deterioration in urinary/bowel incontinence and urinary tract infections (UTI).
The WOCN selected the team of researchers from the University of Minnesota School of Nursing based on its experience, knowledge and expertise with the focus of the study, and the strong and supportive research environment at the University of Minnesota. The School of Nursing's investigators will be solely responsible for planning, directing and executing the research. Researchers will evaluate data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) and link this information to patient care.
Since 1998, Medicare/Medicaide certified home health agencies have used the OASIS tool to collect and report data in a structured manner based on a clinical assessment by registered nurses and therapists. OASIS data are used to study and help insure the quality of care provided by home health agencies and for the development, validation, and refinement of Medicare's prospective payment system. Use of OASIS enables the investigators to examine a large national data set to obtain a large sample, which increases the validity and reliability of findings.
“The University of Minnesota School of Nursing has a long history of success in conducting research related to incontinence and skin damage,” said principal investigator Dr. Bonnie Westra. “The findings from this study will contribute to the ongoing research focus of geriatrics in the School of Nursing. It will also provide evidence for one of the Nursing Management Minimum Data Set elements that includes certification as an important contextual variable influencing patient safety, outcomes and costs of care.” The University of Minnesota School of Nursing's research team also includes co-investigator Dr. Donna Bliss and biostatistician Ms. Kay Savik.
Findings will provide evidence about theimpact of WOC nurses on outcomes of care from their roles in improving, stabilizing or reducing deterioration in patients with wounds, incontinence, and urinary tract infections. This information can provide support for increased utilization of WOC nurses to enhance the quality of care across health care settings, and in particular, to address preventable conditions (e.g., “never events”) such as pressure ulcers and catheter-related UTI affecting reimbursement for hospitals and nursing homes.
About the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society
The WOCN Society is a professional nursing society that supports its members by promoting educational, clinical and research opportunities to advance the practice and guide the delivery of expert health care to individuals with wounds, ostomies and incontinence. A clinician-based professional organization of approximately 4700 members, the WOCN is committed to cost-effective and outcome-based health care. WOC nurses provide care in multiple settings, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, acute and sub-acute long-term care, home health agencies, physician offices and independent practice offices. For more information, visit www.wocn.org.
About the University of Minnesota School of Nursing
The University of Minnesota School of Nursing, ranked among the nation's top nursing schools, is a leader in improving health care through research, education and service. The oldest continuing university-based school of nursing in the nation, it now has a combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment of approximately 850 students. The school educates 55 percent of the faculty in Minnesota's public and private nursing schools, as well as advanced practice nurses and nurses who can assume leadership positions. The School of Nursing is part of the Academic Health Center, one of the most comprehensive facilities for health professionals in the nation, fostering interdisciplinary study, research and education. For additional information, visit www.nursing.umn.edu.
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