Workshop Outcomes: Seven Russian Nurse Projects, a Mentoring Community and Other Resources for Russian Nurse Project Implementation

The Russian nurses developed seven projects and these are: 1. evaluating methods of reducing a child’s pain during a dressing change, 2. helping oncology patients more effectively cope with and manage their pain, 3. helping schizophrenia patients discharged from inpatient services become prepared to care for themselves as outpatients, 4. assisting hospitalized children adapt to separation from their familiar home environment, 5. evaluating continuing education offerings provided by the Archangelsk nursing association, 6. learning why patients with chronic illnesses (diabetes, asthma) chose to receive financial compensation rather than medications for their illness, 7. evaluating a program to improve hep B immunization rates in infants by providing information to nurses who interact with mothers during the prenatal period.  Development of these projects was the key workshop outcome.  Secondary outcomes were mobilizing resources.  It was necessary to help the Russian nurses learn the benefits of working in small groups and how these small groups could form supportive communities to help with project implementation.  Another resource outcome related to development of research materials as Russian nurses do not have access to nursing research texts in their language.  The presentation materials and worksheets helped them follow a step by step process to design their projects and were also set up to help with project implementation.  Another resource was the formation of coordinating and support mechanisms.  The Russian Nurses Association and the Center for Professional Practice that hosted this workshop are helping with information sharing and connecting the Russian nurses with their American mentors during project implementation.  This group of Russian nurses has one more special outcome planned: to host a nursing research conference to present their studies and help other nurses understand how nursing research can help them answer practice issues and demonstrate nursing leadership to advance quality of care.