Collaborative development of an innovative virtual research recruitment strategy through an academic/clinical partnership.

PURPOSE: Recruitment for research studies is the crucial first step and often the most challenging one. A major shift in recruitment methods for research was necessitated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to describe lessons learned and the success rate of virtual research recruitment compared with other research recruitment strategies employed by our Academic/Clinical Partnership research team. METHODS: A descriptive design was employed to assess the success of in-person, mailed introductory letters with follow-up telephone calls and virtual recruitment strategies. The potential participants (N = 144) were parents caring for technology-dependent children (e.g., mechanical ventilation, feeding tubes) at home. To meet recruitment goals the Academic/Clinical Partnership research team (academic project team, hospital-based research nurses) collaboratively developed creative recruitment strategies and a framework to assess recruitment strategy success; percentage who agreed to be contacted by the academic partner, total time for recruitment visit, efficiency, and adherence to ethical recruitment principles. RESULTS: Virtual recruitment via telehealth visits was highly successful meeting all recruitment strategy benchmarks. Importantly, 91.7 % of potential participants that were approached agreed to be contacted for enrollment in a time efficient manner while adhering to ethical recruitment principles. Best practices and lessons learned were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The transition to virtual study recruitment due to the pandemic was an innovative and successful strategy. An Academic/Clinical Partnership research team benefits both partners: (1) enhances study recruitment by increasing research capacity at the clinical site; and (2) provides mentoring by nurse scientists to facilitate nurse research scholar knowledge and skills.

Achieving Patient Satisfaction: Utilizing Telehealth Via an Academic-Practice Partnership.

BACKGROUND: Academic-practice partnerships are a key component of the provision of innovative patient-centered care throughout a health care system. As consumers gain access to more health care options, patient satisfaction is becoming increasingly important. Patients' satisfaction depends on their perception during utilization of health care services. AIM: The purpose of the project was to assess patients' level of satisfaction with the utilization of a telehealth service to receive psychiatric-mental health care. METHOD: The project used a quantitative survey research design comprising a sample of patients receiving treatment for a psychiatric-mental health disorder. Utilizing telehealth, trained nursing students assisted in the provision of follow-up mental health care to patients residing in a rural area. Participating patients completed the 10-item Telehealth Satisfaction Scale questionnaire on conclusion of the follow-up appointment. RESULTS: Questionnaire responses were scored on a 4-point Likert-type scale, with high scores indicating greater satisfaction. Item means ranged from 3.4 to 3.82. CONCLUSIONS: As a positive association was found between patient satisfaction and the utilization of telehealth as part of an academic-clinical partnership, results suggest that the project was a worthwhile innovative endeavor. The telehealth intervention proved to be a sufficient alternative method of in-person follow-up visits for patients receiving treatment for psychiatric-mental health disorders.

Exploring Proxy Measures of Mutuality for Strategic Partnership Development: A Case Study.

Partnerships between academic and clinical-based health organizations are becoming increasingly important in improving health outcomes. Mutuality is recognized as a vital component of these partnerships. If partnerships are to achieve mutuality, there is a need to define what it means to partnering organizations. Few studies have described the elements contributing to mutuality, particularly in new relationships between academic and clinical partners. This study seeks to identify how mutuality is expressed and to explore potential proxy measures of mutuality for an alliance consisting of a hospital system and a School of Public Health. Key informant interviews were conducted with faculty and hospital representatives serving on the partnership steering committee. Key informants were asked about perceived events that led to the development of the Alliance; perceived goals, expectations, and outcomes; and current/future roles with the Alliance. Four proxy measures of mutuality for an academic-clinical partnership were identified: policy directives, community beneficence, procurement of human capital, and partnership longevity. Findings can inform the development of tools for assisting in strengthening relationships and ensuring stakeholders' interests align with the mission and goal of the partnership by operationalizing elements necessary to evaluate the progress of the partnership.

Academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing education: Protocol of a theory-guided scoping review.

AIM: This theory-guided scoping review aims to provide an overview of existing literature about academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing education. BACKGROUND: Academic-practice partnership is an approach to improve evidence-based nursing education, to promote evidence-based nursing practice which could reduce the nursing care discrepancy, improve the nursing care quality and patient safety, reduce healthcare costs and promote nursing professional development. However, the related research is limited and there is a lack of systematic review of related literature. DESIGN: A scoping review guided by the theories of the Practice-Academic Partnership Logic Model and the JBI Model of Evidence-Based Healthcare. METHODS: The researchers will use JBI guidelines for scoping reviews and related theories to guide this theory-guided scoping review. The researchers will systematically search Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Educational Resource Information Centre (ERIC) using major search concepts including academic-practice partnership, evidence-based nursing practice and education. Two reviewers will be responsible for independent literature screening and data extraction. Discrepancies would be solved by a third reviewer. EXPECTED RESULTS: This scoping review will identify related research gaps to provide implications for researchers and identify specific information to provide implications for developing interventions of academic-practice partnerships in evidence-based nursing education. REGISTRATION NUMBER: This scoping review had been registered on Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/83rfj).

Developing a co-production strategy to facilitate the adoption and implementation of evidence-based colorectal cancer screening interventions for rural health systems: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) interventions have not been broadly adopted in rural primary care settings. Co-production of implementation strategies through a bundled approach may be promising in closing this gap by helping rural healthcare practitioners select and implement the best fitting CRCS interventions to the local context. This paper describes the process and outcomes of co-development and delivery of the bundled implementation strategy to improve adoption and implementation of CRCS interventions with two rural clinics. METHODS: We used a bundle of implementation strategies with a core focus on academic-clinical partnership development (strategy 1) and Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles (strategy 2) to identify clinical partner interests/preferences on delivery methods and content needed to facilitate intervention identification and implementation that improves CRCS. We also developed an implementation blueprint for each clinic (strategy 3) through an online blueprinting process based on adapted "Putting Public Health Evidence in Action" (PPHEA) training curriculum. Clinic physicians and staff (n = 7) were asked to evaluate the bundled approach based on overall reactions and perceptions of innovation characteristics using 5-point Likert scale. After completing the bundled approach, we collected implementation outcomes and limited intervention effectiveness of the CRCS evidence-based interventions (EBIs) developed through the process. RESULTS: Our co-production strategy yielded a prototype online blueprinting process consisting of 8 distance-learning PPHEA modules that guide selection and implementation of EBIs tailored to CRCS. Modules were delivered to clinic participants with minor adaptations, using PDSA cycle to improve quality of module contents and formats. Overall, participants in both clinics reported positive reactions toward the bundled approach. Both clinics reported improvements in how they perceived the characteristics of the innovation (the bundled approach) to tailor selected CRCS EBIs. As a result of the bundled strategies, each clinic selected and adopted specific EBI(s) with the varying degrees of implementation and CRCS outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The bundle of implementation strategies used were feasible and acceptable in rural primary care practices to facilitate the use of EBIs to improve CRCS.

Implementing a faculty mentoring process to improve academic-clinical partnerships for nurse led evidence based practice and research projects.

A unique nursing faculty mentoring process within a large academic medical center, and led by the College of Nursing (CON), Center for Clinical Research and Scholarship, provides faculty with the resources needed to collaborate with clinical nursing staff and multidisciplinary project teams who want to engage in clinical evidence based practice, quality improvement, and research projects. Guidelines for mentoring clinical staff allow CON faculty mentors work with clinical staff to enhance their own professional growth and leadership activities and improve clinical outcomes, as well as to increase faculty scholarship activities.

Addressing the Perioperative Nursing Shortage Through Education: A Perioperative Imperative.

Perioperative nurse leaders are facing an unprecedented nursing shortage. Very few baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States prepare graduates for perioperative nursing, and many current perioperative nurses are retiring from practice or leaving the field for other reasons. It is a challenge for nursing administrators to fill the vacant positions because it takes several months to orient a novice perioperative nurse and it involves significant costs. This article provides current information about perioperative nurse and leader shortages, discusses the effects of the shortages on patient safety and health care facility finances, and reviews the available literature about perioperative nursing education from both an academic and health care facility administrative perspective. In addition, this article presents strategies for addressing the nursing shortage and describes implications for clinical practice, education, and research.