PHOENIX, September 7, 2006 -- Arizona State University’s College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation is partnering with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to improve nursing and develop the healthcare workforce in more than 40 countries in the Americas.
As a first step toward launching the initiative, the Center for the Advancement of Evidence-based Practice (CAEP) in the ASU College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation will conduct a half-day workshop on EBP in collaboration with the Colombia (South America) School of Nursing at the 10th Regional Research Colloquium in Buenos Aires, Argentina in November 2006.
Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an approach to patient care that incorporates the use of best evidence from well-designed studies, a clinician’s expertise, and patient values and preferences. ASU’s College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation is an international leader in this field.
The agreement also includes:
- development of an online training course in Spanish on EBP;
- creation of a list serve to disseminate materials and content related to EBP;
- educational and workshop opportunities for nurses and mentors for the purpose of advancing EBP in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean;
- publication of EBP guidelines and systematic reviews in Spanish to improve health outcomes in children, families, and older adults; and
- coordination of EBP initiatives with PAHO collaborating centers throughout the Americas.
The technical agreement is the result of a proposal developed by Bernadette Melnyk, Dean of ASU’s College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation, Ellen Fineout-Overholt, director of the Center for the Advancement of EBP (CAEP), Carol Baldwin, associate professor and Southwest Borderlands Scholar, and Rojann Alpers, associate professor.
Silvina Malvarez, regional advisor for human resources development, approved the agreement for PAHO at its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
“Approval of the PAHO technical agreement brings international recognition to ASU and the emphasis our College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation places on improving healthcare and patient outcomes through evidence-based practice,” says ASU President Michael Crow. “It exemplifies the university’s global engagement and our faculty’s commitment to the development of innovative approaches to universal health challenges.”
After the second year of the agreement, the College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation will apply to become a World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Collaborating Center. There are approximately 10 such centers in the United States, each focusing on a specific area relevant to global health.
Founded in 1957, The Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation has nearly 1,700 students in its Bachelor, Master’s and Doctor of Science nursing degree programs and more than 7,600 alumni. The college also has one of four research centers for evidence-based practice at U.S. colleges of nursing.
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