Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : From Research to Practice: Initiatives and Strategies
Measuring Effect of Certification on Nursing Sensitive Outcomes
Elizabeth Ann Coleman, PhD, RNP, AOCN1, Sharon K. Coon, PhD, RN, AOCN1, Shelia Savell, RN1, Robert Kennedy, PhD1, Donna Elrod, RN, MSN, AOCN2, Mary Helen Forrest, MNSc, RN2, and Joyce Randof, MNSc, RN2. (1) College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA, (2) Dept. of Nursing, University Hospital, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Learning Objective #1: describe research testing strategies for implementation of evidence-based practice
Learning Objective #2: choose instruments for measuring and evaluating symptom management
Background: Oncology nursing is a well-established specialty that has developed certification processes to promote positive outcomes in symptom management, quality of life, patient/family satisfaction and cost of care.  Despite trends towards mandatory certification, little research exists to support it. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of a study to compare certified nurses with non-certified nurses for symptom management, patient satisfaction and nurse satisfaction.  Goal: The goal is to use research testing strategies for implementation of evidence-based practice for quality care. Methods: The project team includes nurses in administration, practice, education and research.  The study has a prospective, descriptive design using all of the in-patient and out-patient oncology units at a university hospital and cancer center in the southwestern U.S. Given the lack of means and standard deviations on which to base the sample size, the power analysis is based on the study design, two-tailed tests, using the G*Power program. A total of 102 nurses and 408 patients served by these nurses are included.  Instruments, with established validity and acceptable reliability, include nurses’ knowledge and attitude surveys for pain and nausea management; chart audit tools for symptom management of pain, nausea and vomiting; patient questionnaires on pain and nausea and vomiting; patient and nurse surveys on satisfaction and demographic forms. Questions on symptom management are based on evidence-based guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Analysis of group differences using independent samples t-tests and reliability, where appropriate, using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha, will be assessed. Results: Although the emphasis of this presentation is on strategies for using research to implement evidence-based practice, preliminary results will be discussed. Conclusions: The results of this study will lay the groundwork for an implementation study of evidence-based practice.

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