Scholarly Work

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.

CCAPNR goals include:
1. To provide a national forum to identify, discuss, consult and debate on important issues relevant to the education, development, and utilization of generalist, specialized and advanced nursing roles in Canada.
2. To conduct timely, responsive and meaningful interdisciplinary and cross-jurisdictional research that informs decision-making about the education, development and utilization of generalist, specialized and advanced nursing roles in Canada.
3. To lead a broad range of knowledge translation activities that support the design, conduct, dissemination and utilization of high quality research about nursing roles and models of care delivery in Canada.
4. To support the development of advanced nursing roles and related research through consultation with key stakeholders and the education and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students, advanced practice nurse

Faculty Member:

Denise Bryant-Lukosius and Ruth Martin-Misener (Co-Directors), Nancy Carter, Faith Donald, Patti Harbman, Kelly Kilpatrick, Diana Sherifali, Joan Trammer, Ruta Valaitis

Students:

Linda Brousseau , Erin Ziegler, Lindsay Yuille

More Information:

• Canadian Centre for Advanced Practice Nursing (CCAPNR)

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.

A PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center is an institution designated by the Director General to form part of an international network that develops activities in support of the programs of the World Health Organization. Currently the Region of the Americas has 18 Collaborating Centers in Nursing and Midwifery. 

Our Collaborating Centre was recently redesignated (see http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/globalhealthoffice/McMaster_redesignated_paho_who_collaborating_centre.html) 

PANMCC/WHO :

Collaborating Centres

More Information:

• WHO Collaborating Centre for Primary Care and Health Human Resources

The Executive Steering Committee for the Standards Modernization reports to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) provides overall strategic leadership and guidance on the review of the Standards Modernization with a goal to strengthen and enhance accountability and transparency within the public health system. Dr. Valaitis is an invited member of this committee which meets monthly which is guiding revisions to the Ontatio Public Health Standards 2008.

Executive Steering Committee member:

Butler-Jones, D., Williams, D. (Co-Chairs) Barrett, M., Christensen, B., Cushman, R., Donnelly, P., Fu, K., Hill, J., Jacek, M., Kyle, R., Manson-Smith, K., McKeown, D., Sturtevant, D., Valaitis, R.

More Information:

• Standards Modernization Executive Steering Committee
• Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) Website

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.

To that end, in 2011 the School launched Health in the Hubs, an ongoing partnership between the SON and the local community planning teams (LPTs) from three Hamilton neighbourhoods: Crown Point, McQuesten, and South Sherman. The LPTs are made up of residents, service providers, places of worship, institutions and local businesses from each neighbourhood hub. A hub brings organizations, businesses and citizens in a community together.

Past Lead: Currently a Team Member :

Semogas D., Rolfe, S., Derbyshire, D., Murray, N., Penner, S., Slotiuk, C., Habib, N., Valaitis, R., Wahoush, O., Harrington, M.

More Information:

• Website
• Health in the Hubs Phase 1 Report
• Health in the Hubs Think Tank

WHO Collaborating Centers are designated by the Director-General, WHO, as part of an inter-institutional collaborative network of centers worldwide. They are established to provide concrete activities at the national, regional, and global levels, in support of the strategic plans of specific WHO areas of work.

All WHO Collaborating Centers in the Region of the Americas are known as PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers since the Pan American Health Organization also serves as a WHO regional office.  Currently there are over 180 Centers in 15 countries in the Americas.

Lead:

Valaitis, R.

More Information:

• PAHO Advanced Practice Nursing Webinar Series 2016 English with Spanish translation
• PAHO Website

Report to Max Bell Foundation, March 2019, regarding KTE Event held with stakeholders on December 10, 2018.

First Author:

Valaitis, R., & Markle-Reid, M.

EU-GENIE is an online tool that volunteers can use with clients. It can help them describe their support network and can link them to relevant local community resources that are tailored to the interests of the client.

EU-GENIE is a UK-developed, evidence-based online intervention aimed to support self-management for adults living with long-term health and social conditions. It was adapted for use in Canada. It is currently being tested in a sub-group of TAPESTRY clients who are enroled in Health Links.

Study Objectives include:

1.      To assess the usability, acceptability, and normalization of the EU-GENIE tool in a primary care environment that is used by providers, clients and volunteers.

2.      To explore if and how EU-GENIE can function as a collaborative practice tool to improve providers’ and clients’ understanding of personal support networks, as well as linkages among primary care team members and between primary care and community-based health and social services (team-based care), within the context of Health TAPESTRY and Health Links programs.

3.      To explore if and how clients perceive the use of EU-GENIE as a tool to support attainment of their health and life goals.

4.      To explore how the size, composition and function of clients’ social networks support attainment of self-identified health goals. 

Our Canadian adatped version of EU-GENIE was presented at the EU-WISE Conference, Southhampton, England. November 23, 2015.
(http://eu-wise.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/EU-WISE-Conference-Southampton-9-R.-Valaitis-21-Nov.pdf) 

Lead:

Ruta Valaitis, Cathy Risdon, Jenny Ploeg, Anita Kothari, Lisa Dolovich, Laura Cleghorn, Anne Kennedy, Anne Rogers, Ivo Vassilev, Dale Guenter, and James Gillett

Research Funding:

• Exploring the Use of Personal Network Mapping as a Component of the TAPESTRY Program

More Information:

• Website
• Conference

The purpose of this study was to describe trends in the number, types, and themes of infant feeding messages presented in a nationally distributed (monthly) Canadian women's magazine from 1945 to 1995.

Content analysis was used, with one researcher photocopying and coding all relevant items. The sample (n = 1082) included all messages related to infant feeding appearing in the magazine. Messages were coded according to sources (e.g., advertisement, article) and themes. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory was used to explore their relationship with infant feeding behavior. Data were analyzed using frequencies and averages and presented graphically.The majority (n = 666,62%) of messages were advertisements. There were only 32 infant feeding articles (3%); the remaining 384 items (35%) were portions of articles or editorial and health columns. The total number of messages declined over time. Trends in message themes (favoring breastfeeding, neutral, favoring bottle feeding) and in the number of advertisements were roughly comparable to breastfeeding initiation rates.These media messages may have been influencing behavior or merely reflecting societal values; further analyses of print media nutrition messages can provide insight into these relationships. Dietitians and nutritionists should consider using the popular media as a vehicle for nutrition education.

Co-author:

Potter, B., Sheeshka, J., Valaitis, R.

Students:

Beth Potter

More Information:

• Publication

This paper aims to explore community members' stories of their experiences with a Nurse Navigator programme serving an urban neighbourhood and primary care practice to address persistent health and social barriers adversely affecting health equity and well-being.

The relational process of navigation as an antecedent to barrier reduction has direct implications for programme development, continuing education of navigators and quality improvement of existing navigation services. Study findings have implications for development of navigation competencies for nurses working with priority populations to address health inequities.

Co-author:

Feather, J., Carter, N., Valaitis, R., Kirkpatrick, H.

Students:

Janice Feather

More Information:

• Link to paper

The objective of this study is to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality (Health TAPESTRY) approach in older adults.

In our program, trained volunteers visit people where they live . In these visits, they learn about what matters most to that person and their health. They also learn more about a person’s health needs. The stories people tell our volunteers are recorded and sent to their health care team using special technology. This helps the team learn more about that person’s life, health needs, goals and how they can better work together to achieve goals and meet needs.

Co-author:

Dolovich, L., Oliver, D., Lamarche, L., Agarwal, G., Carr, T., Chan, D., Cleghorn, L., Griffith, L., Javadi, D., Kastner, M., Longaphy, J., Mangin, D., Richardson, J., Papaioannou, A., Ploeg, J., Raina, P., Risdon, C., Santaguida, P.L., Straus, S., Thabane, L., Valaitis, R., Price, D.

Research Funding:

• TAPESTRY: Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality

More Information:

• Publication
• Health Tapestry Website

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.

Professional competencies have been widely used as a basis for the development of learning needs assessment. The Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practices (CCHN Standards) were released in 2003. However, it is not known whether community health nurses (CHNs) have the educational background to enable them to meet these standards. This article reports on the development of a learning needs assessment questionnaire for CHNs. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the consistency of factors underpinning the CCHN Standards. Also, validity and reliability of the questionnaire were evaluated using appropriate techniques. This process resulted in a valid and reliable CHN learning needs assessment questionnaire to measure learning needs of large groups of practitioners, where other forms of measurement cannot be feasibly conducted.

Co-author:

Akhtar-Danesh, N., Valaitis, R., Schofield, R., Underwood, J., Martin-Misener, R., Baumann, A., Kolotylo, C.

Research Funding:

• A Pan-Canadian Survey of Community Health Nurses’ Learning Needs

More Information:

• Publication

The purpose of this scoping literature review was to determine what is known about: 1) structures and processes required to build successful collaborations between primary care (PC) and public health (PH); 2) outcomes of such collaborations; and 3) markers of their success.

The combined search strategy yielded 6125 articles of which 114 were included. Systemic-level factors influencing collaboration included: government involvement, policy and fit with local needs; funding and resource factors, power and control issues; and education and training. Lack of a common agenda; knowledge and resource limitations; leadership, management and accountability issues; geographic proximity of partners; and shared protocols, tools and information sharing were influential at the organizational level. Interpersonal factors included having a shared purpose; philosophy and beliefs; clear roles and positive relationships; and effective communication and decision-making strategies. Reported benefits of collaboration included: improved chronic disease management; communicable disease control; and maternal child health. More research is needed to explore the conditions and contexts in which collaboration between PC and PH makes most sense and potential gains outweigh the associated risks and costs.

Co-author:

Martin-Misener, R., Valaitis, R., Wong, S.T., MacDonald, M., Meagher-Stewart, D., Austin, P., Kaczorowski, J., O’Mara, L., Savage, R., & the Strengthening Primary Health Care through Public Health and Primary Care Collaborations Team.

Research Funding:

• Building Primary Health Care Nursing Leadership to Enhance Collaboration between Primary Health Care and Public Health

More Information:

• Publication