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Lee Anne Xippolitos
Stony Brook School of Nursing, USA
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nursing Research and Practice
The Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) and the School of Nursing (SON) have solidified the foundation of an academic practice partnership, established in 2010. The SBUH-SON collaborative relationship was implemented to address issues through mutual-goal setting; sharing of risks, responsibilities, accountability; and sharing of resources. The Chief Nursing Office of SBUH and the Dean of the SON have established an organizational structure that aligned the mission and visions of the hospital with the SON. The goals of the partnership are to: 1) respond to challenges inherent in patient care delivery; 2) develop systems improvements that increase quality and safety and reduce cost; and, 3) increase the research capacity through the development of a collaborative research infrastructure. To demonstrate mutual investment and commitment, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was established between the individual academic and practice units. This MOU formalized relationships and delineates joint accountability. This strategic alliance created opportunities for shared responsibilities, governance and decision-making. The Partnership was formalized through participation as academic and clinical partners in the jointly sponsored American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)/The Dartmouth Institute Nursing Faculty and Clinical Partners Improving Health Care Together: the Dartmouth Institute Microsystem Academy. For the pilot project, improving the process of patient and family centered care (PFCC) on an inpatient, medical oncology unit was selected. The primary aims were to: 1) reduce patient falls; 2) decrease patient pressure ulcers; 3) decrease interruptions due to call lights; and, 4) improve patient satisfaction related to communication between the health care team and patients and families. A secondary aim of this partnership was to strengthen quality and safety knowledge in the undergraduate and graduate curricula of the SON. An intervention was implemented using PDSA and results indicated improvements in fall and UAPU rates, patient and staff satisfaction rates, enhanced patient and staff communication, and decreased interruptions to nursing’s workflow. Additionally, the processes and outcomes of the project served to inform undergraduate and graduate curricular revisions in the SON. The partnership provides a forum for leveraging expertise from the clinical and academic arenas. First in 2012 and again in 2017, the partnership jointly prepared for accreditation of SBUH’s UHC/AACN Post-Baccalaureate Residency Program (PBRP) by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Key members of the partner units have joint appointments on committees responsible for research, education, and best practice. Sustainability of the partnership’s efforts is demonstrated through a model of shared resources that includes non-salaried faculty appointments of SBUH professionals to the SON and off-set for faculty serving in dual roles. To drive transformation and implement change, the partnership’s commitment to lifelong learning. Additionally, continuing education opportunities are jointly developed to provide relevant knowledge that will promote educational and career advancement. These efforts foster a commitment to professional baccalaureate education, seamless academic progression, and leadership development. Originally, the partnership existed solely within Stony Brook University’s Academic-Medical Center which is composed of five health professions schools and a tertiary-care hospital. The juxtaposition allows for inter-professional collaboration at the highest level. Evidence includes the formation of project teams of faculty from the SON and key drivers from medicine, managed care, pharmacy, case management, clinical informatics, finance, planning, and other clinical and support areas in the hospital to improve hospital discharge processes, reduce the readmission rate and streamline patient’s transition from acutecare to home-based care. This collaboration provides a forum whereby nurses facilitate inter-professional team building, engage in collaborative problem solving, and improve care coordination. The challenge to the School of Nursing was to replicate the model in other partnership institutions where resources vary. This was successfully achieved in 2016 when the Academic-Practice Model was initiated in a nearby 256 bed community hospital. Today, the School works independently with five other institutions where the missions of both the partner hospital and academic unit are matched. Dissemination of the partnerships’ activities and outcomes is accomplished through joint publications. Each year, an additional report is jointly published from the Division of Nursing at SBUH and the dean and faculty from the SON. Additionally, an article highlighting the partnerships accomplishments in improving health care quality, safety, access and value was published in the nursing literature. Annual surveys are conducted which are informative and evaluation meetings help to improve upon the model.
E-mail: Lee.Xippolitos@stonybrook.edu
+44 7915641605
