Despite the vast amount of information available to improve healthcare delivery, the majority of care that is delivered is not always developed through evidence-based practice or research methods. Challenges with evidence-based practice (EBP), research, and quality improvement (QI) include lack of experience by investigators, time pressures, insufficient resources, availability of mentors, and organizational support. Healthcare leaders lack a clear view of all research, EBP, and QI projects occurring across the system, which oftentimes results in duplication of efforts and limited spread of practices shown to be effective.
This presentation described how the innovative use of technology can provide step-by-step guidance from problem identification with a PICOT question through project completion and dissemination, resulting in increased efficiency and effectiveness with nurse researchers, DNP students, new-to-practice residency projects, EBP fellowship programs, and QI initiatives — all while supporting the integration of projects across multiple health facilities.
Our speakers also performed a live demo of how Sentara Health and Montefiore Health are using Ovid® Synthesis to inspire a spirit of inquiry, empower nurses, share results across hospitals, drive practice improvements through research/EBP/QI, and streamline the required reporting for stories to support Magnet® designation.
Learning outcomes:
- Discover the challenges with current research, EBP, and QI processes in a large multi-hospital health system and how this can affect the provision of quality patient care and innovation.
- Identify opportunities and methods to improve QI, EBP, and research processes and outcomes using Ovid Synthesis, an innovative evidence-based workflow solution that makes EBP, research, and QI projects accessible.
About the panelists
Mary Ellen Lindros has extensive experience in Nursing and Healthcare, and Nursing Leadership. Dr. Lindros’ doctoral preparation in Organization and Leadership – Nurse Executive, also helped her build a solid foundation in healthcare administration. Dr. Lindros also has a depth of experience in the implementation of the electronic health record, across several different vendor products, providing her with an extensive understanding of how to utilize the electronic health record to improve communication among disciplines. In her current position, Dr. Lindros has assisted many DNP students in preparation of quality improvement projects, and is the leader of nursing quality improvement for the Medical Center. She is also an experienced nursing researcher, contributing to multiple journal publications in the field of falls prevention.
Una Hopkins is a highly accomplished healthcare professional specializing in oncology and nursing research. With a strong background in cancer care and administration, Una has made significant contributions to the field through innovative research, program development, and patient care initiatives. She holds Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees from the College of New Rochelle, and she became a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in 1997. Una completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from PACE University in 2012. Her career includes experience as a Bone Marrow Transplant nurse, a key member of a research team in HIV care, and a research collaborator in renowned cancer centers. As a Cancer Program Administrator, she has led the development of a comprehensive Cancer Center, receiving accolades and accreditations. Una has been honored with a Young Investigator Award, secured grants, and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. Her commitment to advancing nursing knowledge and improving patient care continues as the Director of Nursing Research, where she mentors future nurse scientists.
Dr. Toepp holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa and a Masters and Bachelors in Bacteriology and Microbiology, respectively, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has conducted and led research projects in laboratory, academic, and public health settings for the past 13 years using quantitative and qualitative methodologies. At Sentara Health, Dr. Toepp leads a team of analysts and nurse scientists who support research across Sentara’s 12 hospitals and 150 ambulatory clinics in the areas of health equity, nursing, and clinical health outcomes. Dr. Toepp co-chairs the Sentara Systemwide Nursing Research Council and her team supports Magnet® across the Sentara system by attending divisional research committees and providing study design and analytic support to nurse scientists. In addition, Dr. Toepp’s team provides training to nurse resident groups on research as well as resources for research thanks to the ongoing support from Suzanne Duncan, the Director of Library Services for Sentara Health.
Suzanne Duncan started at Sentara as a library tech in 1986 and earned her MSLS from Catholic University of America in 1997. Upon graduation, she was promoted to Librarian for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and started her unofficial job as Copyright Officer for the hospitals. Over her years, the health system and Suzanne’s responsibilities have grown. She is now Director of Library Services for Sentara Healthcare. Suzanne provides services to anyone within Sentara Healthcare which encompasses, 12 hospitals, physician practices, health insurance divisions, home health, Sentara College of Health Sciences, and the public. Suzanne works with nursing clinical practice to ensure library resources are provided to support nurses their general and specific practice needs. Suzanne has worked with nursing on their Magnet journey. Since Sentara Norfolk General Hospital applied their very first time for magnet designation, they have completed their site visit for their fourth designation this year. Suzanne works with the nurse residency groups and nursing research committees. She provides searching instruction, presentations on how to validate searches, create good search terms, and validate articles. She also works with individual nurses to help them get their advanced degrees or work on special projects. Suzanne is very excited to bring Ovid Synthesis to nursing. She sees this as a way of providing system dissemination of research, multi-site studies, and keeping everyone on track with their paperwork and timelines.
Rachel Dicker is a Product Management Associate at Wolters Kluwer, Health Learning, Research & Practice. She is responsible for creating and implementing product strategies, innovation, and market outreach for new clinical research and information solutions. Her current focus is building a new, innovative application for conducting, storing, and disseminating evidence-based and quality improvement initiatives. She recently received the 2021 Health Learning, Research & Practice High Performance Recognition Award and the 2021 Wolters Kluwer Global Innovation Award.
