NEWS
Innovative nursing research unit to encourage evidence-based practice @NS_reporter
Speaking up about unsafe practice and the use of technology to prevent patient falls are among the initial projects being investigated at a new nursing research unit. The Anglia Ruskin Nursing Research Unit (ARNRU) was launched last week and will be run as a partnership between the faculty of health, social care and education at Anglia Ruskin University and eight local trusts. The trusts are already collaborating with the university to identify issues that can make a difference to practice. One of ARNRU’s first projects, undertaken by one of its vice-chairs, has concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the use of technology in preventing falls. The study by Leslie Gelling, reader in research ethics at the Anglia Ruskin University, found that pressure alarm pads used on chairs or beds that alert the nurses’ station when a patient sits up and tries to get out of bed do not prevent falls.
Falls prevention
Dr Gelling examined three studies and found the results from each showed no significant difference in the number of falls among patients whose beds or chairs were fitted with pads and those whose were not. Presenting his findings at the launch of the unit, Dr Gelling said: ‘There has been a move to try to use technology to help prevent falls in hospitals. These alarms can alert nurses to patients who are attempting to stand, but what they cannot do is stop them falling.’ Addressing research nurses, nursing students, lecturers and practitioners, he added: ‘I feel strongly that decisions nurses make should be based on the best available evidence. My presentation shows
sometimes we make decisions that are not evidence based.’ Nancy Fontaine is director of nursing and quality at ARNRU partner The Princess Alexandra
‘DECISIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON BEST AVAILABLE EVIDENCE’ – Leslie Gelling
Hospital NHS Trust and chair of the unit. She said: ‘What we are trying to do is generate work that improves patient care and encourages nurses to be research minded. ‘It is about galvanising nurses to use research to improve care at
the bedside and generate greater professional development,’ she added. The eight trusts are Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. For more information about the ARNRU contact [email protected]
CHANGING ATTITUDES TO ORGAN DONATION A specialist organ donation nurse is researching barriers to donation among Pakistani Muslims after receiving a Mary Seacole Leadership award. Angela Ditchfield, who works for NHS Blood and Transplant at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, has held focus groups and distributed questionnaires to Pakistani Muslims in Blackburn to find out what information they already receive on organ donation and how they could be provided with more. Her research is funded by a £12,500
leadership award she received in October. Ms Ditchfield said that a lack of understanding about organ donation locally is part of a wider national problem among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. In 2013, there were only 67 deceased kidney donors from a BME background compared with 1,122 from a non-BME background. ‘It is vital to raise awareness because organ donations are more likely to be successful if donors and recipients are from the same ethnic background,’ she said.
BARNEY NEWMAN
By Tony Green
NURSING january 28 other :: vol uses 29 no 22 :: permission. 2015 13 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
Innovative nursing research unit to encourage evidence-based practice @NS_reporter
Speaking up about unsafe practice and the use of technology to prevent patient falls are among the initial projects being investigated at a new nursing research unit. The Anglia Ruskin Nursing Research Unit (ARNRU) was launched last week and will be run as a partnership between the faculty of health, social care and education at Anglia Ruskin University and eight local trusts. The trusts are already collaborating with the university to identify issues that can make a difference to practice. One of ARNRU’s first projects, undertaken by one of its vice-chairs, has concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the use of technology in preventing falls. The study by Leslie Gelling, reader in research ethics at the Anglia Ruskin University, found that pressure alarm pads used on chairs or beds that alert the nurses’ station when a patient sits up and tries to get out of bed do not prevent falls.
Falls prevention
Dr Gelling examined three studies and found the results from each showed no significant difference in the number of falls among patients whose beds or chairs were fitted with pads and those whose were not. Presenting his findings at the launch of the unit, Dr Gelling said: ‘There has been a move to try to use technology to help prevent falls in hospitals. These alarms can alert nurses to patients who are attempting to stand, but what they cannot do is stop them falling.’ Addressing research nurses, nursing students, lecturers and practitioners, he added: ‘I feel strongly that decisions nurses make should be based on the best available evidence. My presentation shows
sometimes we make decisions that are not evidence based.’ Nancy Fontaine is director of nursing and quality at ARNRU partner The Princess Alexandra
‘DECISIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON BEST AVAILABLE EVIDENCE’ – Leslie Gelling
Hospital NHS Trust and chair of the unit. She said: ‘What we are trying to do is generate work that improves patient care and encourages nurses to be research minded. ‘It is about galvanising nurses to use research to improve care at
the bedside and generate greater professional development,’ she added. The eight trusts are Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust, Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. For more information about the ARNRU contact [email protected]
CHANGING ATTITUDES TO ORGAN DONATION A specialist organ donation nurse is researching barriers to donation among Pakistani Muslims after receiving a Mary Seacole Leadership award. Angela Ditchfield, who works for NHS Blood and Transplant at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, has held focus groups and distributed questionnaires to Pakistani Muslims in Blackburn to find out what information they already receive on organ donation and how they could be provided with more. Her research is funded by a £12,500
leadership award she received in October. Ms Ditchfield said that a lack of understanding about organ donation locally is part of a wider national problem among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. In 2013, there were only 67 deceased kidney donors from a BME background compared with 1,122 from a non-BME background. ‘It is vital to raise awareness because organ donations are more likely to be successful if donors and recipients are from the same ethnic background,’ she said.
BARNEY NEWMAN
By Tony Green
NURSING january 28 other :: vol uses 29 no 22 :: permission. 2015 13 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
