Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Increasing use of best practices by nurses is a current priority in healthcare. Best practices are believed to be practices supported by research findings. Practices not supported by research may be ineffective, inefficient, and even harmful. Experts have identified long-term care (LTC) as an area requiring improvements in the way care is provided to residents. Supporting nurses in LTC to use best practices is one way to improve resident care. Nursing aides provide the vast majority of care provided in LTC. Currently, we know little about what strategies may help nursing aides use best practices. Experts suggest that strategies based on appropriate theory are best. For my doctoral research I will use a theory that explains how nurses develop routines to design and pilot-test a strategy aimed at increasing best practices amongst nursing aides. I am using this theory because most of the care provided by nursing aides is heavily routinized. Understanding how care becomes routinized is therefore highly relevant to developing strategies aimed at increasing best practices. Two objectives will guide my doctoral work: (1) to better understand how practices become routine for nursing aides; and (2) to use the findings to develop and pilot-test an intervention aimed at increasing best practices. This research is aimed at ensuring residents of LTC receive the best care available.