The Impact of a Collaborative Partnership on the Practice Environment at an Urban Healthcare System

Paper

Thursday, 20 July 2006

This presentation is part of : The Development and Implementation of a Collaborative Partnership Between Practice and Education for Research and Evidence-Based Practice

Deborah Schafer, MSN, RNC, Nursing Services, PinnacleHealth System, Harrisburg, PA, USA and Marianne Allen, MN, RNC, Perinatal, PinnacleHealth System, Harrisburg, PA, USA.

Research Roundtable provided an environment that nurtured and facilitated staff nurses’ comfort with the research process and evidence-based practice (EBP). Participants attended a preparatory two hour educational session on the research and/or evidence based practice processes that included an interactive component of critically appraising research. Support of the project was demonstrated by the provision of compensated release time by administration and unit management, staff completion of assignments and participation at meetings, and participants’ ongoing enthusiasm to achieve the objectives of the project. This commitment contributed to the achievement of the nursing strategic plans. Positive evaluations included collegial collaboration between students and staff nurses, creation of a meaningful and supportive environment in which to learn and apply the research process, and the value of continuation of the project for future years. The successes of Research Roundtable are woven throughout the healthcare system’s Magnet journey, practice model and shared governance structure. For example:

Patients benefit from the implementation of evidence-based practice
Staff increase their understanding of the research process, the ability to ask appropriate questions and the ability to critically appraise literature/evidence in an effort to improve patient care and provide best practice
Participants function as resources and drivers of examination of practice and change at the unit level due to their increased knowledge and comfort with research
Interdisciplinary health team members participate in project implementation and evaluation

This collaborative partnership promoted a shift in the organizational culture to embrace clinical inquiry and to recognize EBP as the expectation rather than the exception for practice change. A description of the outcomes of past and current Research Roundtable projects will illustrate the impact on practice within the healthcare system.

See more of The Development and Implementation of a Collaborative Partnership Between Practice and Education for Research and Evidence-Based Practice
See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)