ABSTRACT
As the science of nursing continues to evolve, efforts to develop strategies to integrate nursing research into clinical practice are increasing. To address the gap between research findings and the use of these findings to improve practice, Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing established the Best Practices Initiative in conjunction with three clinical partners, all in the Pacific Northwest: a large Veterans Affairs medical center, a large health maintenance organization, and a state agency that oversees health care for older adults. This article presents the Best Practices Initiative Partnership Model, some of the lessons learned about partnering with clinical agencies, and an overview of the projects that involved each partner.
Subject(s)
Benchmarking , Cooperative Behavior , Organizational Innovation , Models, Organizational , Patient-Centered CareABSTRACT
Nursing leadership in Oregon has united behind a plan to address the nursing shortage, setting forth five strategic goals. Two of these are specific to nursing education--to double enrollment by 2004 and redesign nursing education to more directly meet the changing health care needs of Oregonians. This article describes the Oregon Nursing Leadership Council plan and the processes used to develop it. Controversial issues, challenges, and future directions also are discussed.
