VUSN and VUMC researchers receive FAANP funding for Choosing Wisely collaborative study
A collaborative project led by a Vanderbilt University School of Nursing researcher and Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Associate Nursing Officer for Advanced Practice has received funding from the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) to roll out a national pilot project aimed at demonstrating the influence of nurse practitioners in reducing unnecessary testing.
VUSN Visiting Professor Ruth Kleinpell, Ph.D., R.N., ACNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, and April Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, will use the FAANP Fellows grant to recruit participants and conduct an expanded Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) Choosing Wisely collaborative study. The study proposes to replicate a 12-month pilot program led and conducted by APRNs at VUMC that highlighted how they can propose and implement clinical practice changes. In the VUMC study, APRNs focused on determining, and reducing where appropriate, the overuse of lab testing and chest x-rays.
The VUMC program drew inspiration from the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign, a national initiative to get health care providers to identify commonly overused tests, procedures and treatments (such as lab tests, use of antibiotics) and consider their necessity on a case-by-case basis. The APRN Choosing Wisely initiative replicated the work of VUMC’s Choosing Wisely steering committee, which had previously spearheaded a successful house staff-led intervention. That project used education and data feedback with goal setting and peer comparison to create safe, significant reductions in daily laboratory testing rates.
In the planned national collaborative, APRNs or APRN teams will identify a Choosing Wisely improvement recommendation for their practices. Vanderbilt teams will coach them over an eight-month period, during which the participants will collect, analyze and compare data; evaluate the resulting quality of care and cost of care changes; and disseminate outcomes through presentations and publications.
APRNs or organizations interested in participating should visit the APRN Choosing Wisely Collaborative study website.
Related News
National Study: Pandemic, Oversight Waivers Impact Advanced Practice Nurses
November 11, 2020
Preliminary results from a national survey reveal how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), while findings related to the temporary easing of practice restrictions show little effect on APRN practice. In states with restrictive practice requirements, barriers that impact patient care and access continued to exist despite waivers issued to help…
Nurse researchers study expanded autonomy for advanced practice nurses during pandemic
July 2, 2020
Nurse leaders from three prominent nursing schools in Tennessee are conducting a national study to measure the impact of a decision by state leaders to waive physician oversight of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic grew in the U.S., governors in 16 states, including Tennessee, waived select requirements…
VUSN faculty and alumni honored as fellows by AAN, AANP and ACNM
August 27, 2019
Twelve faculty and alumni of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing have been named fellows by the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Faculty members Pam Orebaugh Jones, DNP’13, MSN’92, BSN’81; April Kapu, DNP’13, MSN’05; and Jennifer Ezell Wilbeck, DNP, PMC’06, MSN’99; and alumni Kuei-Ru…
