JCR, Hill-Rom Launch Nurse Safety Scholar-in-Residence Program

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 12 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PST

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Recognizing the important role nurses play in translating evidence-based findings to excellent care at the patient's bedside, Joint Commission Resources (JCR) and Hill-Rom (NYSE:HRC), are collaborating to launch a Nurse Safety Scholar-in-Residence program in 2009. JCR is a not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission. Hill-Rom is a global medical technology company.

The Nurse Safety Scholar-in-Residence program will focus initially on developing tools and best practices to maintain skin integrity and prevent pressure ulcers. An estimated 2.5 million patients are treated for pressure ulcers in acute care facilities in the United States each year, according to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2003 and 2006. In the future, expert nurse clinicians and scholars in the program will concentrate on putting into practice evidence-based solutions to prevent patient falls. Both pressure ulcers and in-hospital falls are among the preventable conditions and events on Medicare's "no pay" list.

"Nurses play a role in all patient safety efforts and this scholar-in-residence program will give nursing leaders an opportunity to develop and share innovative solutions to these significant patient safety problems," says Deborah Nadzam, Ph.D., F.A.A.N., practice leader, Patient Safety, JCR.

"At Hill-Rom we strive to use our resources in ways that make a difference every day in the lives of patients and their caregivers," says Melissa Fitzpatrick, R.N., M.S.N., F.A.A.N., vice president and chief clinical officer for Hill-Rom. "We see collaborating with JCR in this important research as one key way to support the discovery of new solutions to truly enhance the safety and ultimate positive outcomes for patients. Collaborating with such a world-class organization as JCR enables us to accomplish patient safety goals that neither of us would be able to accomplish on our own. "

The goals of the program are:

-Fostering the professional development of expert nurse clinicians and scholars to become translators of evidence into practice;

-Identifying best practice processes and technology associated with providing safe care for specific clinical problems; and

-Establishing hospital collaborative projects focused on clinical challenges and adverse events, initially relating to skin care and the prevention of falls.

The selected nurse will serve a twelve-month appointment as Scholar-in-Residence and, in addition to other project responsibilities, will:

-Receive training in patient safety and performance measurement and improvement;

-Author a manuscript for submission to a refereed journal;

-Participate in the selection of hospitals participating in the project; and

-Coordinate the activities of participating hospitals and educate their staff regarding the performance improvement model and best practices for the prevention of harm.

The program will be managed through JCR. Applicants are now being sought for the scholar-in-residence program. The deadline for applications is February 23, with the first scholars being announced in April 2009. For more information about the program or to apply, please visit http://www.jcrinc.com/JCR-Hill-Rom-Nurse-Scholar/.

About Joint Commission Resources

Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (JCR), a not-for-profit affiliate of The Joint Commission, has been designated by The Joint Commission to publish publications and multimedia products. JCR reproduces and distributes these materials under license from The Joint Commission. JCR educational programs and publications support the accreditation activities of The Joint Commission, but are separate functions. Attendees at JCR educational programs and purchasers of JCR publications receive no special consideration or treatment in, or confidential information about, the accreditation process. Learn more about Joint Commission Resources at http://www.jcrinc.com.

About Hill-Rom

Hill-Rom is a leading worldwide manufacturer and provider of medical technologies and related services for the health care industry, including patient support systems, safe mobility and handling solutions, non-invasive therapeutic products for a variety of acute and chronic medical conditions, medical equipment rentals, and information technology solutions. Hill-Rom's comprehensive product and service offerings are used by health care providers across the health care continuum in hospitals, extended care facilities and home care settings to enhance the safety and quality of patient care.

Joint Commission Resources