Ideas Incubator

►Mediterranean diet as a tool to prevent and/or improve health conditions. I am interested in exploring the effect of Mediterranean diet on older adults living in the community (independently) or in residential long-term care units (nursing homes).

►Bedsharing (in relation to newborns and parents) - a complex public health message re the risks, benefits, and realities of bedsharing is often reduced to simplistic messaging to the public 'Don't sleep with your baby'. Yet research from the UK demonstrates that for a variety of reasons, from 50-70% of families will sleep with their infant in some way, shape, or form -often unsafely. What are the BC/Canada stats? What is the impact of our current messaging? Does it result in safer infant sleep practices? Does it open the door for a dialogue between HCP's and families? If not, what approach would?

►Crushing Medications In Residential Care Setting: Risk vs Benefits, explore kinds of medications, desired outcome/ effectiveness when crushed, ethical issues, explore other options, who decides, is it an evidence base practice practice?

►Assessing the need for and development of a comprehensive concurrent disorder approach in mental health nursing in the Vancouver area.

►I would like to see research done related to women's health issues. What is currently available and best practices world wide when it comes to dealing with often debilitating health issues. I am seeing a lot of access issues, no follow up, and lack of knowledge (both patients and healthcare providers) when it comes to issues like: urinary incontinence, abnormal blood loss, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, breast health, multiple pregnancy loss, fertility issues, cervical cancer,eating disorders, immune disorders, peri menopause/ menopause, PMS and I am sure there are more. I also hear from many women that when they do go and see their physician, they sometimes do get referred elsewhere, but if the person they have been referred to is unable to diagnose/ help, they are sent away and no follow up takes place. There must be areas in the world where this is done better, while still maintaining a cost efficient system.

►What are the implications of the permanent assignment component of current long-term care service delivery models on care aides’ use of banked sick time and relational abilities (as compared to the rotating assignment / teamwork)?

►I am interested in exploring the impact of contemporary models of long-term care service delivery on workplace climate (long-term care). Contemporary models of long-term care service delivery such as the Eden Alternative® are generally supportive of shifts in staffing patterns towards residential care given primarily by care aides, enhanced responsibilities for care aides, and permanent assignment of residents to care aides. Promotional information about the Eden Alternative® (aimed at families, residents and managers of long-term care organizations) is easily accessible online. Current empirical research has focused on resident and family satisfaction but there is very limited research evaluating the impact of specific components of contemporary models on workplace climate and on care aides who provide the majority of services to the residents. Components that require further empirical investigation are: permanent assignments of residents to care aides versus rotating assignments and/or teamwork, the impact of expanded duties for care aides, and outcomes of the new “versatile” or “universal worker” role for care aides.

►Exploring "entitlement" as a parental "attitude" when it comes to taking away Nursing Support Services hours after a child has been found to not require the skills of an RN. ie: care can be safely delegated to and unlicensed careprovider.

►Trial the use of Craniosacral Therapy in the management of chronic musculo-skeletal pain.

►Innovative student practice education models in tertiary ambulatory care settings: nursing specific, and interprofessional.

►How do nurses from other countries or from across our own country meld into our hospitals with our standards of practice especially in specialty areas? Of course all people are not trained the same. But do they need more time to orientate before being expected to put out in the workforce? Some of them seem to struggle. Patient safety is sometimes a concern.

►The role of hypnosis in chronic disease management (changing behaviours)

►Youth, high school aged 12-18, mental health awareness and stigma reduction with a specific focus as a means of substance abuse prevention:

• Research into what this population (age group) self-identifies as most important and needed for their role as peers and as a primary support system.
• Review of what programs are currently in place and what relevant material is already available.
• Development of content information/curriculum to fill the gaps as identified from the above, in knowledge and information.
• Development of implementation strategies to fill this need.

►Using tablets for patient education and care, including translation. Are women, children, youth and families open to using tablets for seeking and learning information including immigrant and refugee families? Which tablets are best for for patient education and translation?