Department of Nursing Education

Research News

Interdisciplinary Nursing Quality Research Initiative (INQRI) - Involving the Public in Health Care Quality Measurement: A Study of NQF Nursing Sensitive Quality Measures

Presented by Shoshanna Sofaer, Dr.P.H. (Baruch College) and Jean Johnson, Ph.D. (George Washington University), Principle Investigators

The GW Department of Nursing Education in partnership with Baruch College, held a special briefing of research findings from the project entitled: Developing and Testing Nursing Quality Measures with Consumers and Patients on June 11, 2009. The study focused on how consumers and patients respond to the 15 nursing sensitive quality measures endorsed (and currently under review by) the National Quality Forum. Measures which were easily understood by the public and which were not as well as those that were viewed as important and not important were discussed. We described the methods used to move toward measurement of a key aspect of quality - the coordination of care for hospital patients by nurses working with other health professionals. Our particular hope is to raise the issue of how to best involve consumers and patients in the process of deciding on what kind of quality measures should be publicly reported.

Presentation (PDF)

Consumer Friendly Definitions of the NQF 15 Quality Measures (PDF)

Bios of the Project Team (PDF)

INQRI Web Site

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GW’s Department of Nursing Education Awarded $386,000 HRSA Grant

The Department of Nursing Education (DNE) at The George Washington University (GW) has been awarded a $386,000 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant to enhance its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. The three-year grant will enable the program to increase access to doctoral education for nurses working and living in underserved communities.

“These funds will allow our program to expand and enhance its distance education offerings and to recruit and retain students from underserved areas,” said DNP program director, Christine Pintz, PhD, FNP. “Receiving this highly competitive grant reflects our growing reputation as an innovative nursing program.”

The funding will be used to prepare graduates as nurse practitioners or nursing administrators in diverse settings. It will also provide additional technology resources such as Web conferencing and online learning objects for DNP students.

For more information about this grant, click here.

GW Faculty Authors White Paper

Ellen Kurtzman, assistant research professor in the Department of Nursing Education, recently authored a white paper on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) final inpatient prospective payment system rule.

The paper—A Summary of the Impact of Reforms to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) on Nursing Services—summarizes the rule and its provisions with emphasis on its impact on nursing services.

GW's two-year study, which is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is aimed at designing and promoting national policies that reflect nursing's contribution to quality.

For more information about the white paper, click here.

Rewarding Quality Nursing Care

Over the past decade, there has been an enormous investment in holding healthcare providers accountable for the quality of care provided in hospitals and other care settings. Performance measurement and public reporting are now recognized as key vehicles to motivate accountability and achieve improvements in patient safety and healthcare outcomes.

In partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the GW Department of Nursing Education has initiated a 24-month project to respond to the risks and benefits of creating "pay-for-performance" models to incentivize high-quality nursing inpatient care. It also will establish foundational principles and short- and long-term strategies to accelerate the adoption of such programs.

The project will assess the current state of incentive programs for nursing care quality and represent nursing on the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA). It also will participate in selected activities of the National Quality Forum (NQF).

Project Summary

Project Schedule

For more information, contact Ellen Kurtzman at 202.994.9349 or hspetk@gwumc.edu

The National Nurse Emergency Preparedness Initiative

The Department of Homeland Security awarded a $2 million dollar grant to the Department of Nursing Education to develop and deliver educational training to prepare nurses to respond to victims of an event involving weapons of mass destruction and increase their awareness of WMD risks, vulnerabilities and response requirements. The educational program will target nurses in hospitals, clinics, assisted living facilities and elsewhere and will include a web-based component designed to further increase access to the program.

The National Nurse Emergency Preparedness Initiative (NNEPI) is a web-based training initiative for nurses. The highly-interactive web-based course uses simulations, case scenarios, and demonstrations to provide setting-specific Weapons of Mass Destruction/Terrorism (WMD/T) preparedness training for nurses working in hospitals/acute care, schools, public health, ambulatory care, hospice/palliative care, long-term care, occupational health, and home health. The NNEPI web site (www.nnepi.org) will provide links to the web-based course as well as emergency preparedness information and resources for nurses. The NNEPI course will be made available to Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners beginning Winter 2005.

For more information, go to:

http://www.nnepi.org
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/gwu_media_advisory.pdf and http://www.gwumc.edu/progress/p120104.pdf.