Health Education
The theme - Education - is related to post-secondary education and professional development in areas such as in community health nursing and/or primary health care.
Research Funding
Patient/Caregiver Engagement in Community-Based Research on Older Adults
The overall goal of the project is to investigate the most effective way to use the existing strengths of a community to design community-based health-related programming, and to measure the impact...
Completed
June 2016-December 2017
Co-Primary InvestigatorContributing to, and Learning from, the Lives of Older Adults: Practical learning experiences in the care of older adults as trained community volunteers for health care
Health TAPESTRY (Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality) is a community-based approach, centered in primary care, which aims to promote optimal aging through four...
Active
2016-2017
Co-Primary InvestigatorLiterature Review: In What Ways and How Effectively is Technology Being Used to Support Health Behaviour Change
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Completed
2013-2014
Primary InvestigatorStreet Smarts Book Smarts: Evaluation of a Knowledge Exchange Intervention (Health in the Hub Phase 2)
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Completed
2011-2012
Co-Primary InvestigatorA Pan-Canadian Survey of Community Health Nurses’ Learning Needs
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Completed
2008-2009
Co-Primary InvestigatorA Pan-Canadian Survey of Community Health Nurses’ Learning Needs: Phase One
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Completed
2007-2008
Co-Primary InvestigatorEvaluation of the Use of Clinical Simulation in Ontario Nursing Programs
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Completed
2005-2008
Co-InvestigatorScholarly Work
Canadian Centre for Advanced Practice Nursing Research (CCAPNR) Faculty Member
CCAPNR involves a group of multi-disciplinary, university-based researchers dedicated to creating new solutions for problems that challenge health and social services through the use of new models of care and evaluation. The team engages in research and professional education activities to address CCAPNR goals.
Active
CommitteesDeputy Director, World health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario) for Primary Care and Health Human Resource
Since 2009, Dr. Ruta Valaitis has been a Deputy Director, World health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre (McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario) for Primary Care and Health Human Resources. Dr. Valaitis was elected Secretary to the Pan American Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centres Network (PANNMCC) and served in that role from 2011 to 2013.
Active
CommitteesHealth in the Hubs
The McMaster University School of Nursing (SON) is dedicated to improving the health of residents in our local communities and fulfilling the School’s mission of community engaged scholarship.
Active
ProjectsA Questionnaire for Assessing Community Health Nurses’ Learning Needs
This article reports on the development and psychometric testing of a learning needs assessment questionnaire related to the Canadian community health nursing Standards of practice.
Completed
ArticlesAn Online Toolkit to Support Public Health and Primary Care Collaboration
The aim of this toolkit is to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes that support the development and maintenance of successful collaborations between primary care and public health. This toolkit is for practitioners, managers, policy makers, and students from a variety of disciplines working in primary care and public health.
Completed
ProjectsCommunity Health Nurses’ Learning Needs in Relation to the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice: Results from a Canadian survey
Canadian Community health nurses (CHNs) work in diverse urban, rural, and remote settings such as: public health units/departments, home health, community health facilities, family practices, and other community-based settings.
Completed
ArticlesComputers and the Internet: Tools for youth empowerment
Youth are often disenfranchised in their communities and may feel they have little voice. Since computers are an important aspect of youth culture, they may offer solutions to increasing youth participation in communities. This study involved public health nurses to support the school-based community development project.
Completed
ArticlesEnabling Youth Participation in School-based Computer-supported Community Development
Schools are a main setting for health promotion for youth. A one year qualitative case study was undertaken in an inner-city, Canadian school. It explored factors that enabled and constrained youth in the process of a school-based computer-supported community development (CD) project. This paper reports on Dr. Ruta Valaitis' PhD thesis results.
Completed
ArticlesInvited Faculty for Canadian Institutes of Health Research - IHSPR-IPPH Primary Health Care Summer Institute.
The Summer Institute is aimed at graduate students from across Canada.
Completed
CommitteesMember of the Advisory Committee Orientation: Transition Program for Nurses New to Public Health
From 2006 - 2009, Dr. Ruta Valaitis was a member of the Advisory Committee for the design and development of an Orientation Program for new nurses transitioning into public health careers.
Completed
CommitteesMember of the Canadian Nursing Association’s Nursing Portal Project- Evidenced Based Practice Sub-group
During 2005 - 2006, Dr. Ruta Valaits was a member of the Canadian Nursing Association’s Nursing Portal Project- Evidenced Based Practice (EBP) Sub-group.
Completed
CommitteesMember of the CASN Education Subcommittee for Public Health
From 2004 to 2012, Dr. Ruta Valaitis was a member of the CASN Subcommittee for Public Health.
Completed
CommitteesMember of the Working Group: Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): Professional Education Working Group- Vaccine Prevention
From 2006 - 2009, Dr. Ruta Valaits was a member of the Working Group: Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): Professional Education Working Group- Vaccine Prevention
Completed
CommitteesNurse Faculty Perceptions of Simulation Use in Nursing Education
In this study nursing faculty perceptions of the implementation of simulation in schools of nursing across Ontario, Canada, were explored using the Q-methodology technique. Building on her secondary interest in the use of appropriate technologies (a principle of primary health care), this work was conducted during Dr. Valaitis' short term role as the Director of Learning Technologies for the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University.
Completed
ArticlesOptimization of home care nurses in Canada: A scoping review
Nurses are among the largest providers of home care services thus optimisation of this workforce can positively influence client outcomes. This scoping review maps existing Canadian literature on factors influencing the optimisation of home care nurses (HCNs).
Completed
ArticlesPartners in research: building academic-practice partnerships to educate and mentor advanced practice nurses
Given the push for health care reform and quality improvement (QI), health care administrators are seeking new ways to utilize all dimensions of APN expertise, especially related to research and evidence-based practice. The purpose of the paper is to describe an academic-clinical partnership to improve patient care by strengthening the capacity of advanced practice nurses to integrate research and evidence-based practice activities into their day-to-day practice.
Completed
ArticlesPhase 2: Strengthening the Quality of Community Health Nursing Practice: A Pan Canadian Survey of Community Health Nurses’ Continuing Education Needs Study
The purpose of this second phase of the study was to identify current practice activities of CHNs across all Canadian Provinces and Territories and to measure their continuing education needs in relation to the CCHN Standards.
Completed
ReportsPragmatists, Positive Communicators and Shy Enthusiasts: Three viewpoints on web conferencing in health sciences education
Building on Dr. Valaitis' secondary interest in the use of appropriate technologies (a principle of primary health care), this work was conducted during her short term role as the Director of Learning Technologies for the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University.
Completed
ArticlesPreparing the Community Health Nursing Workforce: Internal and External Enablers and Challenges Influencing Undergraduate Nursing Programs in Canada
The Canadian Schools of Nursing (CASN) Task Force on Public Health was mandated to facilitate Schools of Nursing to provide students with the foundation required to meet the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice. As a member of this Task Force Dr. Valaitis led this paper which reports on an environmental scan that explored barriers and enablers influencing the integration of community health nursing content in baccalaureate education in Canada.
Completed
ArticlesPrimary Health Care and Nursing Education in the 21st Century: A discussion paper
Report to the WHO, Series Number 16, March 2009. Primary health care (PHC) is a philosophy and an educational practice approach. Nursing is one of the key services for the delivery of PHC. The purpose of this background paper is to examine PHC education for nurses in the globalized world.
Completed
ReportsProblem-based Learning Online: Perceptions of health science students
This qualitative study explored health sciences students' perceptions of their experiences in online problem based learning (PBL) and focused on their views about learning and group process in the online environment. Building on her secondary interest in the use of appropriate technologies (a principle of primary health care), this work was conducted during Dr. Valaitis' short term role as the Director of Learning Technologies for the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University.
Completed
ArticlesPublic Health Nurses’ Perceptions of Mobile Computing in a School Program
The use of mobile computing in healthcare practice has grown substantially in recent years, yet little is known about its impact.This descriptive, exploratory, qualitative study explored the perceptions of public health nurses (PHNs) in a school health program about their use of mobile computing.
Completed
ArticlesRepresentative for Canadian Association for Schools of Nursing (CASN) at a National Summit for Ontario Health Information Highway
In 2002, Dr. Valaitis was a representative for CASN at the National Summit for Ontario Health Information Highway. This conference was related to health Informatics and held at the University of Victoria, British Columbia.
Completed
CommitteesSimulated Experiences: Nursing students share their perspectives
This study explored nursing students' viewpoints about the use of simulation in their nursing programs. This work was conducted during Dr. Valaitis' short term as the Director of Learning Technologies for the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University.
Completed
ArticlesStop, Look and Listen: An interactive guide to working with communities
This was a CD-ROM program designed to teach community health nursing students and other professionals about the process of community action. It focused on the principles of primary health care, community assessment and community development. Child pedestrian injury prevention was the main issue addressed in this programme
Completed
ProjectsStreet Smarts ↔ Book Smarts: Three Neighborhoods and One University School of Nursing Partnering for Health
This article describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary undergraduate course embedded within a campus–community partnership initiative involving McMaster University School of Nursing, and three urban priority neighborhoods in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The experiential course focuses on building knowledge and skills in community participation and community improvements for health and continues to be offered today. This primary health care collaboration between the campus and three Hamilton neighbourhoods was led by Dr. Valaitis and supported by the Health in the Hubs team.
Completed
ArticlesTailoring Online Health Promotion: A Toolkit for Communities
Tailoring Online Health Promotion: A Toolkit for Communities has been produced to share our learning and experiences in working to build a health promotion web site (www.youthspark.ca) to meet local needs by and for rural youth in Huron County, Ontario Canada. The Toolkit is loosely organized according to the phases of project development that we experienced in the YouthSpark project.
Completed
ReportsTailoring Online Health Promotion: A Toolkit for Communities
Tailoring Online Health Promotion: A Toolkit for Communities: This toolkit was produced based on our experience and evaluation of working with public health staff and youth in a rural community to build a health promotion website for youth by youth.
Completed
ProjectsStudents
Picture | Name | Degree | Ruta's Role | Thesis Topic | More Info |
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Dr. Judy Burgess | Post-Doctoral Fellow | Co-Supervisor | A Tool to Evaluate Interprofessional Teams in Primary Care | More Info. | |
Dr. Rebecca Ganann | Post-Doctoral Fellow | Co-Supervisor | Integrated knowledge exchange with knowledge users in community-based interventions involving extensive patient and caregiver engagement in the community | More Info. | |
Beata Penrice | MScN | Supervisor | Nurse Managers as Project Managers: A Gap Analysis of Competencies | More Info. | |
Sally Binks | MScN | Supervisor | A Comparison of Nurses’ Similarity Judgments at Two Points in the Novice-Expert Continuum | More Info. | |
Mary Guise | PhD | Supervisor | Computer-mediated-conferencing: support for preceptors of senior nursing students | More Info. | |
Anita Stern | PhD | Supervisor | The Complexity of Family Caregiving: Use and Perceptions of Home Telehealth in Palliative Cancer Care | More Info. | |
Erin Ziegler | PhD | Supervisor | LGBT populations and access to primary care | More Info. |