SAN ANTONIO (June 15, 2011) — Health care providers and educators interested in improving patient care are invited to attend the 2011 Improvement Science Summit and the 10th annual Summer Institute on Evidence-Based Practice set for June 28 – July 2 in San Antonio.
The summit, institute and three pre-conference workshops are sponsored by the Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice (ACE), part of the School of Nursing at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The conferences feature national and international experts in quality improvement science and patient safety, including John Øvretveit, Ph.D., director of research and professor of health innovation implementation and evaluation at The Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, Sweden.
Pioneers in quality improvement
The UT Health Science Center San Antonio School of Nursing established the ACE in 2000 as the first evidence-based center in nursing shortly after the Institute of Medicine issued its landmark report, “To Err is Human.” This and subsequent “Crossing the Quality Chasm” reports urged health care institutions to improve patient safety and quality of care by reducing human errors and basing care on scientifically proven best practices. Now in its 11th year, ACE has been on the forefront in this nationally endorsed agenda through the promotion of evidence-based practice (EBP) ― providing patient care based on scientifically proven principles.
“Although it’s taken more than a decade to get health providers and educators on board with using EBP, there is quite a bit of interest in it now. ACE has been a national leader in developing the expertise, methodologies and models used to improve quality and patient safety,” said ACE Director Kathleen R. Stevens, Ed.D., RN, ANEF, FAAN, professor in the School of Nursing’s Department of Health Restoration and Care Systems Management.
Influence the national agenda for patient safety
“Each year we have more than 500 health providers and educators attend our conferences. In a new effort, we are actively seeking experienced investigators to contribute to our body of knowledge through the Improvement Science Research Network. This is a unique opportunity to influence better health care and patient safety on a national scale,” Dr. Stevens added.
Improvement Science Summit June 28-29
The Improvement Science Summit is the official conference of the Improvement Science Research Network (ISRN), an ACE initiative funded by a $3.1 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant. Philosophically aligned with the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, the goals of the ISRN are to accelerate improvement by conducting landmark interprofessional studies at multiple sites, and to enhance the translation of research findings into health care. “This year, ACE has received a $48,000 conference grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to support the second summit because of our excellent programming and unique focus on the research methods for quality improvement,” Dr. Stevens said.
Pre-conference workshops June 29
The three pre-conference workshops are designed to introduce specific groups, including health professions educators, health professionals and anyone new to quality improvement to various aspects of EBP and team performance before attending the Summer Institute on Evidence-Based Practice.
Summer Institute on Evidence-Based Practice June 30-July 2
The Summer Institute on Evidence-Based Practice, with the theme “Transforming Health Care: Friction, Heat, & Light,” will be of particular interest to clinicians, researchers, educators and administrators, as it prepares health care providers from multiple disciplines for an increasing role in EBP, with the ultimate goal of improving care and ensuring patient safety. “Participants will learn what works in building care processes and supporting the care provider in the evolving environment of improvement,” Dr. Stevens explained.
Conference highlights
National and international experts in evidence-based quality improvement and patient safety will be presenting cutting-edge topics at the conference including:
- “Does Improving Quality Save Money?” presented by global expert John Øvretveit, M.Phil., Ph.D., C.Psychol., C.Sci., M.I.H.M., director of research, professor of health innovation implementation and evaluation, medical management culture, at The Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
- “Getting the Most from Research Collaboratives: Applying the Science of Team Science,” presented by Michelle Bennett, Ph.D., deputy scientific director for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the NIH
- “Getting from Heat to Light — Conflict Skills in This World of Change,” presented by Phyllis B. Kritek, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, conflict engagement specialist, sole proprietor. She will explore such topics as courage, training, facilitation, consultation, coaching and mediation.
Continuing Education Credit
Continuing education credit is available for all of the conferences. For more information, to register and for a complete list of the speakers and presentations, visit www.acestar.uthscsa.edu/institute/su11.asp or call 210-567-1480.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 3 percent of all institutions worldwide receiving U.S. federal funding. Research and other sponsored program activity totaled $228 million in fiscal year 2010. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced approximately 26,000 graduates. The $744 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.