Posted: 10/7/2002
The first recipients of the Dorothy Evans Lyne Fund for Collaborative Nursing Research were announced this week. The fund, started by a grateful patient and administered by the Institute for Johns Hopkins Nursing, seeks to improve patient care and outcomes through clinical nursing research.
Grants were awarded to two teams comprised of nurses from The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Principal investigators of the teams are Benita Walton-Moss, DNSc, RN, assistant professor at the School of Nursing, and Candis Morrison, PhD, CRNP, associate professor at the School of Nursing.
Dr. Walton-Moss’ study will provide data on living organ donors that will ultimately be used to assist donors and their families in making informed decisions about organ donation. The lead investigator on this study from The Johns Hopkins Hospital is Nancy Boyle, RN, BSN, clinical transplant nurse manager.
“The decision to donate a kidney or liver is unique for each person and his or her family,” says Dr. Walton-Moss. “By increasing our awareness of the factors that may affect the decision-making process, we can better educate potential donors and their families and improve levels of satisfaction with the donation process.”
The study led by Dr. Morrison will focus on enhancing educational communication tools used by cancer patients, families, and consumers regarding the diagnosis, treatment, and current research endeavors in pancreatic cancer. The lead investigator on this study from The Johns Hopkins Hospital is JoAnn Coleman, CRNP, RN, MS, acute care nurse practitioner. The team will evaluate the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) module on the Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer web-site.
“Although pancreatic cancer is among the rarest forms of cancer, it is associated with one of the highest rates of mortality. Patients and families are frequently desperate to glean as much information as they can in a short period of time. Since its inception in 1998, the FAQ module has received over one million hits, demonstrating that patients and their families are turning to the internet for answers to their questions,” says Dr. Morrison. “Information needs to be accurate, current and reflective of the best evidence-based practice that is available. This study will help ascertain whether the FAQ module is meeting the needs of its users.”
Martha N. Hill, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the School of Nursing, says these pilot studies are significant for several reasons.
“Both studies focus on empowering patients and families to make informed decisions – the ultimate goal of every good nurse,” says Dr. Hill. “Moreover, these studies are promising because the research efforts have the potential to receive additional funding from other sources to conduct larger, more comprehensive studies.”
The Dorothy Evans Lyne Fund is named for a Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing graduate and established by her good friend, June Elliott. The two met during the ‘60s when their husbands were in residencies at Johns Hopkins. The friendship grew and flourished, and their bond became particularly strong when Mrs. Elliott began treatment for an advanced malignancy. Although her friend, Dee Lyne, was never her bedside nurse, Mrs. Elliott was consistently impressed with the care she received from Hopkins. That prompted her to think of a unique way to honor Hopkins nurses. She decided to create the Dorothy Evans Lyne Fund named after her friend.
For more information about the Dorothy Evans Lyne Fund, visit the website at http://www.ijhn.jhmi.edu/DEL_Fund/Protocol.html or contact the Institute for Johns Hopkins Nursing at 410.614.3160.