CHOPR in the Media
Winter/Spring 2012
CHOPR Associate Director, Dr. Eileen Lake, finds an association between hospital recognition for nursing excellence and outcomes of very low-birth-weight infants
 April 25, 2012 - According to Dr. Eileen Lake's research paper published in JAMA on April 24, 2012, better nursing leads to better outcomes for the tiniest babies. To assess the effect that very high–quality nursing care has on this fragile subset of patients, Lake and her colleagues compared the outcomes of more than 70,000 very low-birth-weight neonates at 558 hospitals around the country. Dr. Lake and her colleagues hope their findings spark discussions among hospital executives about achieving excellence in nursing; that clinicians will discuss how nursing care supports good patient outcomes; and finally that expectant mothers, who are at high risk of having a low-birth-weight infant—one having a multiple birth or who has high blood pressure or other risk factors—can find out if her hospital has earned Magnet status.
LINKS TO RESEARCH PAPER, MEDIA RESPONSES & INTERVIEWS
International team of researchers finds quality and safety problems in hospitals to be widespread throughout 12 countries in Europe & the U.S.
 March 22, 2012-- The research paper written by Dr. Linda Aiken and the RN4Cast Consortium was published in the British Medical Journal in March 2012. In a matter of days articles and stories have been circulating around the world. The study found that better work environments for nurses and fewer patients per nurse improved standards of care and patient satisfaction. READ THE RESEARCH PAPER HERE.
Nurses.com, "Survey ties nurses' work environment to patient satisfaction"
The Telegraph, "British nurses 'burnt-out' study finds"
Daily Mail, "Nurses in England feel worse about their jobs than most of Europe (except recession hit Greece and the UK)."
Brightsurf.com, "Intl.research finds quality and safety problems in hospitals throughout 13 countries"
Yahoo Noticias Espana, "Hospitales de 13 países de Europa y EE.UU. presentan problemas de seguridad y calidad en la atención a los pacientes"
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, "Burnout von Pflegekräften ein internationales Problem"
Infection Control Today, "International Research Finds Quality and Safety Problems in Hospitals in 13 Countries"
NewsBlaze.com, "International Team of Researchers Finds Quality and Safety Problems in Hospitals to be Widespread throughout 12 Countries in Europe and the U.S"
Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken, discusses the future of nursing education in two-part interview for Reflections on Nurse Leadership.
 February 13, 2012 -- A two part series, entitled "Linda Aiken: Improving Health Care Outcomes Through Research" by Karen Morin (immediate past president of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International) was recently published online by Reflections On Nursing Leadership. The online magazine's mission is to communicate nurses’ contributions and relevance to the health of people worldwide. Dr. Aiken responded to questions about her research career, the future of nursing education, recent findings, and policy recommendations. START READING THE INTERVIEW NOW FROM THIS LINK.
Center Director Dr. Linda Aiken is featured in a HealthLeaders Magazine story entitled, "Controlling Nurse Labor Costs"
 January 19, 2012 - According to Karen Minich-Pourshadi, Senior Editor with HealthLeaders Media, controlling labor costs is essential for a strong bottom line and, increasingly, healthcare finance leaders are looking to reduce personnel costs, particularly for the nursing staff. In her story Dr. Aiken discussed this complex issue. "We know that cutting nurses at hospitals reduces patient volumes, and volumes are already flattening for other reasons," says Linda Aiken. "I don't think I've ever seen a staff nurse that isn't busy. You see nurses being used inefficiently everywhere, however, and that's costly." For an indepth look at this issue and to read more about Dr. Aiken select this LINK TO ARTICLE.
Center Assistant Professor Ann Kutney Lee and Predoctoral Fellow Deena Kelly, garnered top story status in an ANA Smartbrief
 January 10, 2011 - In a story published in UPI Health News entitled, "Electronic health records improve nursing", Center authors discuss their findings and its implications. The study, published in the Journal of Nursing Administration, found having a basic electronic health records system was associated with better outcomes independently of nurse staffing -- indicating that both play an important role in quality of care. Follow this link to read the original research paper entitled, The Effect of Hospital Electronic Health Record Adoption on Nurse-Assessed Quality of Care and Patient Safety.
Fall/Winter 2011
Assistant Professor Matthew McHugh's Health Affairs article is in competition to become one of the Top Five Most Influential Research Articles of 2011
 December 12, 2011 -- The lineup for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's (RWJF) Most Influential Research Articles of 2011 has been announced and includes Dr. Matthew McHugh's 2011 Health Affairs research article, entitled "Nurses’ Widespread Job Dissatisfaction, Burnout, and Frustration with Health Benefits Signal Problems for Patient Care". David C. Colby, PhD, vice president of Research and Evaluation at RWJF said that this year’s 20 research articles were selected based on their solid research and their popularity. Health Affairs has already identified McHugh's article in the top ten "Most-Read Articles" this year. The RWJF asks the public to help select the top research article by evaluating how the research has guided policy and practice, influenced how the public thinks about health and healthcare issues, and changed long-held perceptions of the healthcare field at large. This year’s winners will be announced in the next issue of Evidence Matters to be released in early 2012. Update January 5, 2012: Dr. McHugh's Health Affairs paper is in the final five!! READ MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PAPER AND THE AWARD FROM THIS LINK.
CHOPR research findings on nurse education and patient outcomes is cited by numerous media outlets
 December 16, 2011 - Dr. Aiken's research to determine the effect of hospital work environments on hospital outcomes across multiple countries was published earlier this year in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care. Since then many different media outlets online and in print from around the world have reported its findings. Survey data were collected from separate cross sections of ninety-eight 116 bedside care nurses practicing in 1406 hospitals in nine countries between 1999 and 2009. In the article entitled, “Importance of Work Environments on Hospital Outcomes in Nine Countries” researchers concluded that poor hospital work environments are common and are associated with negative outcomes for nurses and quality of care. On the positive side, it was found that improving work environments holds promise for nurse retention and better quality of care.
Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken, appeared in several Public TV installments of "Inside The Nursing Crisis"
 November 6, 2011 - Experts believe that as the effects of an impending nursing shortage are felt nationwide, hospital administrators must balance quality patient care and sustainability. Few people understand this better than the researchers at Penn’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research studying the causes and solutions to nursing workforce challenges and their effect on patient outcomes. In this powerful WCNY program sponsored in part by the American Nurses Association and Excelsior College, Dr. Aiken speaks about the workforce issues facing the health care system.. Watch these powerful programs in their entirety from this link.
Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken is the featured Meet the Author in a new IsquaKnowledge.org discussion forum
 November 7, 2011. The 'Meet the Author' series will spotlight Dr. Aiken's collaborative research and highlight her recently published lead article in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care entitled, Importance of work environments on hospital outcomes in nine countries. This research involved primary survey data collected from cross sections of 98,116 bedside care nurses practicing in 1406 hospitals in 9 countries between 1999-2009. Nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction, patient readiness for hospital discharge and quality of patient care were measured. Results demonstrated that "working in a hospital with a better work environment was associated with significantly lower odds of nurse burnout and job dissatisfaction and with better quality-of-care outcomes". The online discussion forum begins November 7 and runs through November 20. The center encourages all interested parties to join the online discussion. This activity is not only relevant to those with an interest in the featured publication topic, but also more broadly to those with an interest in publishing and translating research into practice. To join the discussion and post comments, register at IsquaKnowledge.org.
A newly published CHOPR study was the lead story in an ANA Smartbrief
 November 2011 - Center investigators performed an analysis of a four-state survey of 26,276 nurses and found that hospitals recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as Magnet organizations had significantly better work environments and more highly educated nurses than non-Magnet hospitals. The center study published this month in JONA found that Magnet hospitals were 18% less likely to report job dissatisfaction and 13% less likely to report job-related burnout. For a copy of the JONA article, click here. To learn more about about the Magnet Recognition Program, click here. ANA SmartBriefs provide the latest news and information for more than four million senior-level professionals who need to stay informed about important health care issues impacting the nursing profession.
Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken, discussed the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing on NPR's Conversations on Health Care
 October 5, 2011 - Conversations on Health Care is a radio show about the opportunities for reform and innovation in the health care system. The centerpiece of each show is a feature story and conversation with an innovator in the delivery of care from around the globe. Co-hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter spoke to Dr. Aiken about the Center's groundbreaking research linking nurse-to-patient ratios with patient outcomes. The radio episode also included Linda's comments on the Institute of Medicine's Future of Nursing recommendations, innovations in nursing practice both in the U.S. and globally, and strategies to advance the IOM recommendations on nursing practice, education and leadership in the U.S. healthcare system. To download a full transcript of this episode click here. To listen to the episode in its entirety, click here.
Dr. Linda Aiken’s NEJM Perspective on “Nurses for the Future” was chronicled in USA Today's Special Fall Edition
 October 2011 - An article on the role of the Nurse Practitioner and the health care challenges we face as a nation was reported in “The doctor is out. Nurse Practitioners (NPs) step in and fill a need." The role of the Nurse Practitioner today and the changes coming in the near future (when baby boomers and others in need of medical services will sharply increase) was discussed at length. One of the disparities as reported by Dr. Aiken is the fact that the Affordable Care Act is expected to add 32 million people who need primary care to the health-care roles but that only 8,000 NPs graduate annually.
Center Associate Professor Nancy Hanrahan leads School of Nursing Year of Games competition
 September 15, 2011 – theDP.com. Nursing faculty said they wanted to see their students create a best-selling mobile application to address health concerns and recruitment at a recent retreat with School of Nursing Dean Afaf Meleis. Not only should the application educate people about the nursing occupation, but it should also aim to inspire younger individuals to enter the medical field as nursing practitioners. “The idea of looking at solutions for healthcare issues or problems … it’s just a phenomenal thing to do,” Nursing professor, project leader and inspirational teacher Nancy Hanrahan said. After learning about a similar project spearheaded by Philadelphia.gov, Hanrahan began to muse about how new technology could be utilized by Penn Nursing students. “I thought, ‘How can this technology be useful for us, for getting people what they need faster, more efficiently and more effectively than we have before?’” That's what this project is about. “We want students to think creatively and out-of-the-box about what kinds of innovative ideas that might help [the medical field],” Meleis said. Information sessions for the competition will take place from Sept. 20-22 in Fagin Hall. Read the entire article in theDP.com right here! Good luck everyone!
Health Service Research's top downloaded, and most-cited research article in 2010 was Dr. Aiken's study on nurse staffing ratios.
October 2011 - Select this link to read article in its entirety.
Photo: Then-governor Gray Davis of California speaks to hospital nurses at a 2002 news conference in LA, where he announced new state-mandated nurse–patient ratios in hospitals. Photo by Reed Saxon, Associated Press.
Spring/Summer 2011
Dr. Aiken's ground breaking research study is featured in several media outlets throughtout the country
"An analysis done earlier this year by the University of Pennsylvania's Linda Aiken found a lower death rate in California hospital patients than in two other states without fixed staffing requirements." The Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing has produced groundbreaking research on the relationship between adequate nurse staffing in hospitals to the reduction of deaths from common surgeries while providing nurses with working conditions that reduce burnout, improve job satisfaction, and reduce turnover.
June 10, 2011| StarTribune.com Editorial: Nurses dig in over staffing ratios.
July 14, 2011 | PennLive.com. Link to PennLive.com story
Aug 19, 2011 | Las Vegas Review Journal. Link to Mountain View Nurses Cite UPENN Study
CHOPR Study on RN staffing in California was featured in a PRNewsWire News Release
July 14, 2011- Health Affairs Study on Achievements of California Safe Staffing Law was featured in WorldMarketMedia.com."...New Study Adds to Evidence on Success of California's RN-Patient Staffing Law to Improve Nursing, Patient Care. Another major study has reinforced a growing body of evidence that California's landmark law requiring minimum, specific nurse-to-patient staffing limits enhances registered nurse staffing and the quality of patient care." Authors of the study include: Drs. Matthew McHugh and Douglas Sloane of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research in Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania nursing professor and well known RN researcher Dr. Linda Aiken; and, Lesley Kelly, PhD, RN, Assistant Professor at Arizona State University in Phoenix.
Dr. Hanrahan's study on caring for adults with HIV and mental illness is featured in the national news section of Nurse.com
 Tuesday July 12, 2011 - APRNs help patients with mental illness and HIV | Nurses.com. CHOPR study was discussed at length. In a news release lead study author and Penn Nursing professor Nancy P. Hanrahan, RN, PhD, said "Implementation of community-based nurse management using APRNs for complex patient populations may improve long-term outcomes and reduce the high costs of care. This study suggests that APRN care management should be a central component of the redesign of healthcare delivery to this vulnerable population." The full study appeared in Nursing Research and Practice.
The most popular 2011 article in Nursing & Health's so far is Center Associate Director Eileen Lake's "Patient Falls: Association With Hospital Magnet Status and Nursing Unit Staffing"
July 2011 -- In the first six months of 2011 the above research paper was downloaded over 2500 times making it one of the top downloaded articles so far this year. The paper was written by Center Associate Director, Dr. Eileen Lake, along with postdoctoral fellow, Dr. JingJing Shang; as well as Research Instructor and Manager of the NDNQI Quarterly Data Processing, Dr. Susan Klaus; and Research Professor of Nursing, Department of Health and Policy Management, Univesity of Kansas Medical Center, Dr. Nancy E. Dunton. The relationships between hospital Magnet status, nursing unit staffing, and patient falls were examined in a cross-sectional study using 2004 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) data from 5,388 units in 108 Magnet and 528 non-Magnet hospitals, and concluded that patient safety may be improved by creating environments consistent with Magnet hospital standards. Check out this link to find out more about Magnet Hospital designations.
Fall 2010
 Center Director, Dr. Linda Aiken is one of the most influential people in Healthcare
September 2010 - The annual 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare competition recognizes the men and women considered among the most influential throughout the industry, as chosen by readers of Modern Healthcare. Center Director, Dr. Linda H. Aiken, has consistently been ranked among the top 100 most influential people in healthcare. According to the organizers at modernhealthcare.com the ninth annual ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare is topped with people who are spearheading implementation of the sweeping new healthcare reform laws. |