Nursing researchers to discuss quality of patient care at conference

More than 100 of the nation’s nursing researchers and administrators are participating in a conference on enhancing the quality of care people receive in the American health-care system. "Fashioning the Future: Enhancing Care Through Nursing Health Services Research" is the theme of this year’s National Nursing Administration Research Conference (NARC).

Topics to be covered include the impact of the nursing shortage on patient safety, the effect of work place environments on nursing turnover, the characteristics of magnet versus non-magnet hospitals and the best ways to care for the nation’s growing elderly population, especially in nursing homes.

Local experts participating in the conference who are available for interview include:

• Dr. Linda Cronenwett, dean of UNC’s School of Nursing. She is a nationally recognized expert on the nursing shortage and on the relationships between a quality nursing work force and the quality and safety of patient care. In addition, Cronenwett is president of the N.C. Council of Deans and Directors of Baccalaureate and Higher Degree Programs and a member of the N.C. Institute of Medicine Task Force on the Nursing Shortage.  She may be reached at (919) 966-3731 or lincron@email.unc.edu.
  
  
• Dr. Barbara Jo Foley, clinical associate professor of nursing and director of continuing education for nurses at UNC. A conference organizer, she can discuss the effect of work place environments on job satisfaction for nurses and how this can influence patient care. Foley, a former U.S. Army nurse, is leading a study comparing work place satisfaction in military medical centers and civilian hospitals to identify those nursing elements that lead to greater work satisfaction for nurses and optimal health outcomes for patients. She may be reached at (919) 966-3638 or bfoley@email.unc.edu.
  
  
• Dr. Edward Halloran, associate professor of nursing. He spent 25 years as a nurse executive before becoming an academic nurse. He studies nurse staffing, particularly the classification of nurses and patients, so patient need can be better matched to nurse capability. Halloran may be reached at (919) 966-7207 or ehallora@email.unc.edu.
  
  
• Dr. Donna Havens, associate professor of nursing. She has studied the organization of nursing, professional practice, staff nurse decisional involvement and hospitals purported to deliver better care for more than 16 years. She is an expert on magnet status for hospitals and what that means to patients, nurses and hospital administration. In particular, she can address how this rating affects nurse satisfaction and patient outcomes. She may be reached at (919) 966-4269 or dhavens@email.unc.edu.
  
  
•  Dr. Cheryl Jones, associate professor of nursing. She recently completed a two-year appointment as a senior health services researcher for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the Washington, D.C., area. She is leading two research studies: one on the costs of nursing turnover to hospitals and a second on nursing labor market behaviors and employment trends. Her research shows that hospitals may lose substantial financial and human resources due to turnover in the nurse work force. She may be reached at (919) 966-5684 or cabjones@email.unc.edu.
  
  
• Dr. Mary Lynn, associate professor of nursing. She can speak on quality of care in home health care, the fastest growing service industry nationwide. Her work with more than 1,000 patients and 150 nurses across the state examines whether patients benefit from home health care and what health-care providers can do to improve the care patients receive in their homes. Lynn may be reached at (919) 966-5450 or mlynn@email.unc.edu.
  
  
•  Dr. Barbara Mark, Sarah Frances Russell distinguished professor of nursing. She can discuss the effect of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes. She is working with nurses, administrators and patients in 160 hospitals nationwide to determine whether the quality of nurses – including levels of education, experience and professional commitment – rather than the quantity of nurses is the answer to better patient outcomes. Mark also is studying how changes in nurse staffing affect the financial performance of hospitals. Mark may be reached at (919) 843-6209 or bmark@email.unc.edu.

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Note: A full listing of conference speakers and activities is available at http://nursing.unc.edu/lifelong/narc/index.html.
School of Nursing contact: Sunny Smith Nelson, (919) 966-1412 or sunny_nelson@unc.edu