Sample sessions
More than 740 nurse researchers and leaders from more than 40 countries came to Orlando to share knowledge, make connections and impact world health at the 21st International Nursing Research Congress, sponsored by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). Here’s a sample of sessions presented on Day 4.
Paper or electronic—Transitioning into electronic health records presents a unique challenge to faculty, staff and students. Nursing faculty and staff members are tasked with learning a new system while, at the same time, teaching it to nursing students. In a presentation titled “Faculty-staff-student issues during the transition from paper-based to electronic health records systems,” Donna M. Nickitas, PhD, CNAA, BC, RN, professor at City University of New York’s Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, explored how faculty members, staff members and nursing students perceived their skills and how this knowledge can be used to facilitate education and implementation.
International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration—Karen H. Morin, DSN, RN, president of STTI, and Suzanne Prevost, RN, PhD, president-elect of the honor society, discussed the background, history of development and initial findings of the 2010 International Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration. The presenters also identified future summit initiatives. The session was moderated by Sharon M. Melincavage, DEd, RN, ANP-BC, CNE.
 |
| Norlander |
The art of being present at the end of life—Administering care to the dying is a delicate task that requires clinical knowledge, compassion and the ability to act as an advocate for the patient and his or her family. Linda K. Norlander, BSN, MS, author of To Comfort Always: A Nurse’s Guide to End-Of-Life Care and co-author of Being Present: A Nurse’s Resource for End-of-Life Communication, organized this special session, which aimed to define presence and how it relates to caring for dying patients and explain the three roles for nursing in caring for dying patients. Norlander signed copies of her books following the session, which was moderated by Doris Troth Lippman, EdD, APRN, FAAN.
Risk of polypharmacy among nursing home residents—A study by four researchers from the Universidad de Guanajuato Campus León, División de Ciencias de la Salud, identified polypharmacy in nearly three out of four elderly patients in a Mexican nursing home. Almost 70 percent of those patients were at risk for harmful drug interactions, some of which could result in death. More research is needed to determine drug combinations that are directly related to mortality. Octavio A. Jimenez-Garza, MS, RN, presented the study’s findings. The other researchers are Alejandra Guerrero-Rodriguez; Cipriana Caudillo-Cisneros, RN, MS; and Sergio Márquez-Gamiño, MD, PhD.
Poster sessions
 |
| Catherina "Rina" Muller |
When nurses are in leadership roles, their voices in health policy development become dominant, resulting in improved health service delivery. Catherina “Rina” Muller, MS, of the School of Nursing Science at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, points to a poster related to her research about positive nurse-led change. Muller’s co-researchers were Hester C. Klopper, PhD, MBA, RN, RM, BACUR, MCUR, North-West University School of Nursing Science, Potchefstroom, South Africa; Nancy Edwards, RN, PhD , Nursing/Health Sciences, University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and Eulalia Kahwa, PhD, RN, The University of West Indies School of Nursing, Mona, in Kingston, Jamaica.
 |
| Sonia Solano (left) and Chiachi Hsaio |
Sonia Solano of Colombia converses with Chiachi Hsaio, poster presenter from the Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Chiayi, in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The title of Hsaio’s poster is “To reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections of the urinary tract.”
 |  |
| Carol J. Huston, RN, MSN, DPA, FAAN, led sessions titled "Do you want to be on the 2011-13 STTI Ballot for Office?" and "Assessing the health status of women globally." Huston is a past president of STTI and current chair of the 2009-11 Leadership Succession Committee. | Jo Rycroft-Malone, PhD, MSc, BSc, RN, editor of Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, teamed with Susan Gennaro, RN, DSN, FAAN, editor of Journal of Nursing Scholarship, to present an interactive session on writing for publication. |
Learning and networking at the 21st International Nursing Research Congress:
Taste of Orlando—Monday, 12 July
Taste of Orlando—Tuesday, 13 July
Taste of Orlando—Wednesday, 14 July
Taste of Orlando—Friday, 16 July
