Nursing Research

Research Findings

Research Activities, July 2008:
Intensive care nurses tend to identify patient safety practices from self-initiated tasks

Research Activities, May 2008:
Nurses can facilitate quality improvement in primary care practices with electronic medical records
Most health care workers do not intend to receive pertussis vaccination, despite their increased risk of acquiring and transmitting the infection

Research Activities, March 2008:
Studies examine emergency communication, use of defibrillators, and benefit of ED pharmacists

Research Activities, February 2008:
Competing priorities, burnout, and collegial support all play a role in nursing career decisions
Studies examine the impact of nurse staffing on complications, mortality, and length of hospital stay
Staffing levels and turnover are influenced by nursing home expenditure patterns
Nurse midwives deliver more babies in hospitals than homes in Washington State

Research Activities, November 2007:
Premature infants with chronic lung disease can be safely cared for by community-based providers coordinating with a nurse specialist

Research Activities, September 2007:
Nurses and physicians have different perspectives and roles in medical decisions affecting nursing home residents
Intensive care nurses face noise, distractions, small workspace, and other obstacles to providing care to critically ill patients

Research Activities, August 2007:
Hope, experience, and education help nurses feel more comfortable and competent in providing palliative care to children
Changes in workflow and tasks need to be assessed when introducing bar code medication administration into nurses' work

Research Activities, July 2007:
Studies examine the surge capacity of U.S. hospitals to respond to bioterrorism or other public health disasters

Research Activities, April 2007:
Working conditions influence intensive care unit nurses' decision to leave their current position

Research Activities, March 2007:
Reducing turnover of registered nurses and certified nursing assistants will help maintain nursing home staffing levels

Research Activities, February 2007:
Primary care patients with pain and psychosocial problems benefit from nurse telephone calls
Seminars can improve nurses' skills in discussing end-of-life issues with heart failure patients and their families

Research Activities, January 2007:
An enhanced pain assessment scale and feedback to hospital nurses can improve pain documentation and analgesic prescribing but not pain reduction

Research Activities, December 2006:
The decision to hospitalize nursing home residents is driven primarily by residents' preference and quality of life

Research Activities, November 2006:
Increasing the time that nurses spend with nursing home residents is key to improving their job satisfaction
Oncology nurses tend to follow guidelines to alleviate post-prostatectomy symptoms

Research Activities, October 2006:
Perceptions of teamwork in hospital labor and delivery units depend on caregiver role and the unit environment

Research Activities, September 2006:
Nurse-led care improves functioning for patients with heart failure in minority communities
Previous hospital performance, internal operations, and market competition are key in improving hospital performance

Research Activities, August 2006:
Studies examine the safety climate and teamwork in hospital operating rooms
Long work hours and family care-giving affect nurses' hospital performance

Research Activities, July 2006:
Researchers compare two widely used data sources to examine hospital nurse staffing
Greater use of agency nurses in nursing homes may lead to poorer quality of care
Collaboration of hospitalists/attending physicians and nurse practitioners can reduce hospital stays and increase profit

Research Activities, June 2006:
Better defining the role of public health nurses can improve disease surveillance necessary for bioterrorism preparedness

Research Activities, May 2006
Nurse-anchored practice-based research centers help address health disparities
AHRQ's health care quality and disparities reports can help nurse leaders make key decisions about quality and patient safety
Multidisciplinary physician/nurse practitioner teams can reduce the costs of hospital care while maintaining care quality

Research Activities, February 2006:
Excessive nurse workload is a key factor affecting the safety of patients in intensive care units
Experienced nurse practitioners and physician assistants provide high-quality care for people with HIV

Research Activities, October 2005:
Level of HMO penetration in a hospital's market affects the relationships between nurse staffing, length of stay, and mortality

Research Activities, September 2005:
Use of nurse case managers and physician peer leaders can reduce children's asthma symptoms but at a price

Research Activities, August 2005:
Patients' beliefs are not an important barrier to effective pain management

Research Activities, July 2005:
Executive walk rounds are a promising tool for improving the safety climate of hospitals

Research Activities, June 2005:
Nurses can take steps to prevent pediatric medication errors associated with dosing and administration
Nurses tend to use individual behavioral and visual cues to assess pain in nursing home residents
One-third of a national sample of hospital staff nurses made an error or near error over a 1-month period
AHRQ is supportive of nursing research and encourages nurses to work with the agency in various capacities

Research Activities, May 2005:
HMO penetration in a hospital's market affects the relationship between RN staffing and quality of care

Research Activities, April 2005:
Smart intravenous infusion systems have the potential to reduce serious medication errors in ICUs

Research Activities, March 2005:
Skipping meals or breaks may contribute to nurse burnout and jeopardize nurses' health

Research Activities, February 2005:
Organizational research can help clinicians make decisions about staff and IT systems
Mentors may help accelerate the shift toward evidence-based nursing practice

Research Activities, January 2005:
Use of a multidisciplinary team can reduce hospital stays and costs without adverse effects on readmissions or outcomes
Involving all staff members in guideline-recommended care can improve oversight and coordination of patient care
Nursing homes that employ physician extenders and provide training for nurses' aides have fewer hospitalizations

Research Activities, December 2004:
Anonymity, feedback, and a blame-free environment promote reporting of medical errors
Improving nurses' working conditions can potentially decrease the incidence of many infectious diseases
Underreporting of medical errors affecting children is a significant problem, particularly among physicians

Research Activities, November 2004:
Shift work affects the health and work performance of nurses and other health care workers
Knowledge of pain medication and its management could be improved among nursing home staff
AHRQ provides many funding opportunities for nursing research

Research Activities, October 2004:
Extended work shifts, common among nurses, substantially increases the likelihood of medical errors

Research Activities, September 2004:
Hospital providers' understanding of patient safety is heavily influenced by their professional roles
In certain situations, nurses should raise a "red flag" to protect patient safety

Research Activities, June 2004:
Nursing homes generally respect residents' do-not-hospitalize orders, but not always
Nursing home staffing and quality improved after passage of the Nursing Home Reform Act
Conference participants focus on the role of nursing in health care quality improvement

Research Activities, March 2004:
Higher RN staffing is associated with fewer deaths among elderly Medicare patients hospitalized for heart attack
Updated ICU information systems substantially free nurses from documentation, giving them more time for direct patient care
Nurses' contributions to patient-centered care and care equity are important components of health care quality

Research Activities, January 2004:
Residents of assisted living facilities with a full-time RN are less likely to leave the facility for a nursing home