February 19, 2010 - Representatives from the Thunder Bay District Health Unit and the Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) gathered today at the Health Unit’s Balmoral office to announce funding for two innovative research projects, both of which will have a positive impact on nursing practice as well as the health of residents here in the Thunder Bay district. Both projects were made possible with funding received from the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
The Health Unit’s project will see them partner with a lead researcher from Lakehead University, Dr. Karen McQueen, as they investigate improving breastfeeding outcomes for Aboriginal women. “We are very excited about this project as it brings together many community stakeholders including Anishnawbe Mushkiki, an Aboriginal Community Health Centre located here in Thunder Bay,” says McQueen.
The research will focus not only on evaluating breastfeeding outcomes among Aboriginal women but also on the development, implementation and evaluation of a peer support breastfeeding program. The peer support program will match a pregnant Aboriginal woman who wants to breastfeed with an Aboriginal woman who has breastfeeding experience. These women will serve as peer counsellors and will provide telephone support, based on the needs of the new mother, during the early weeks after birth. An education session will also be provided to allow each woman to meet her peer counsellor.
Although the staff at Anishnawbe Mushkiki currently encourage women to breastfeed their babies, Sheila Marcinyshyn, a pre and post natal educator at the Centre, is confident that the results of the research project will only improve their work. “Ultimately we hope to increase the number of breastfeeding mothers from what we are currently seeing. We support this project because we know the health benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the baby. ”
The TBRHSC will partner with researchers Dr. Barbara Davies and Dr. Kathryn Higuchi of the University of Ottawa, as well as ten other health care organizations in Ontario, on a study entitled Guideline Implementation for Improved Clinical Outcomes (GICOM). More specifically, the project will focus on the prevention of falls and fall injuries in older adults.
The GICOM study is based on the idea that nurses provide the best care that they can to each patient on a daily basis but if different team or organizational supports are in place, there is room for improvement. Nurses have some of the most creative and important suggestions for improving the systems for health care from the patient’s perspective. Patient-centered care is the key priority for health care.
“Research has lead to the development of Best Practice Guidelines that nurses can use with their patients to reduce falls and fall related injuries. This is a great example of how nursing research can have a very positive impact on the health of patients here in Northwestern Ontario. Funding from the RNAO and the Ministry of Health is making it possible for us to participate in this very exciting multi-partner project.” said Rhonda Crocker Ellacott, Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive at the TBRHSC.
George Fieber, the TBRHSC’s Professional Practice Leader, highlighted the unique opportunity of this project to impact patient safety at the bedside “This type of research is essential to developing Best Practice Guidelines that translate into evidence based practice. Patients and families are at the centre of everything we do at TBRHSC.”
Best Practice Guidelines are developed based on the best available evidence and knowledge and are used by health care professionals to make decisions about the best possible approach to a health problem or issue. In other words, staff implementing the Best Practice Guidelines will be using the most up to date research to develop and deliver educational health programs and client care. This will allow clients to receive the best health care based on the best evidence and clients will have better health outcomes and quality of life.
Upon completion, the research findings and results of both projects will be disseminated locally, provincially, nationally and internationally to other health care facilities and organizations.
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