RESEARCH
To Care, To Educate, To Discover
Nursing research is fundamental to the delivery of high-quality health care for patients.
Submitted by the ORPCS Department

Office of Research, Patient Care Services
The ORPCS Lab brings together PhD-prepared nurses and allied researchers from:
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Stanford Health Care
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Stanford Children’s Health
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Stanford School of Medicine
Click here to read the ORPCS Lab Report for 2020-2021.
Prepared by Maria Yefimova, PhD, RN and Stephanie Leung, MA
U.S. Clinician Wellness Study
In Spring 2021, nurses from inpatient areas in ICU, AAU and ED at SHC had the opportunity to complete an anonymous survey about their work environment and clinician wellness. SHC was one of 60 Magnet hospitals that collaborated in the U.S. Clinician Wellbeing Study led by the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Each participating hospital received a summary of their own results compared against other Magnet Hospitals and some non-Magnet hospitals. Topics covered work environment, culture of safety, quality of care, the Electronic Health Record (Epic), burnout, clinician well-being and mental health. Also included were questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.
RESULTS:
The SHC survey was completed by 603 clinical nurses who represented 26% of eligible SHC frontline nurses (managers, administrators were not included).
Nurses responded from these areas:
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AAU (n=315, 52%)
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ICU (n=194, 32%)
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ED (n=51, 9%)
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Other (n=43, 7%)

PhD-prepared nurses and allied researchers have the expertise to identify pressing clinical issues, develop innovative solutions and evaluate health outcomes through rigorous scientific inquiry.
Overall, SHC nurses rated their work environment more positively than nurses at the other Magnet hospitals who participated in the survey across the U.S. (n=15,738). The response rate at SHC was similar to the other Magnet hospitals (SHC 26%; Other Magnet hospitals 27%).
OUTCOMES:
This report was disseminated to all nurses at Stanford via the weekly “Looking Forward” digital newsletter from the Chief Nursing Officer Dale Beatty. The report was also presented to the Research and Innovation Council (RIC) part of the Stanford Shared Leadership Council (SLC) for discussion and input from frontline clinicians. The results and the discussion identified areas for improvement and future initiatives to improve clinician wellness at SHC. Thank you to all who participated, as always, we value your feedback!














Members of ORPCS Nursing Research Lab
Qualitative approach- 10 (76%)
Observational studies- 6 (46%)
Experimental and quasi-experimental studies- 6 (46%)
Quality Improvement- 6 (46%)
Mixed Methods- 5 (38%)
Secondary data analysis- 5 (38%)
Ethnography and participant observation- 4 (31%)
Intervention Development- 3 (23%)
Clinical Trials- 2 (15%)
Community-based participatory research- 2 (15%)
Health Services Research- 2 (15%)
Implementation Science- 2 (15%)
Survey Development- 1 (8%)
Focus Groups- 1 (8%)
Distribution of ORPCS Lab Members' Methodological Research Expertise (based on N=14 responses)
Submitted by the ORPCS Department
Introduction: Nursing and Patient Care Services
Research Department, Stanford Health Care
Background
In Winter 2020, Dr. Michelle Y. Williams, PhD, RN, joined the Stanford Health Care Team, as the Executive Director of the Nursing and Patient Care Services Research Department, which, at that time, consisted of two, distinctive divisions, clinical trials, and academic nursing research. There were three full-time (two nurse scientists, one research RN program manager) and one relief (nurse scientist) staff in the Office of Research. The research program manager’s role included supporting the transition of clinical research studies from the Stanford University School of Medicine to SHC Hospital Inpatient clinical units. The nurse scientists were responsible for supporting frontline nursing research projects.
The Nursing and Patient Care Services Research Department would continue to undergo several infrastructure iterations, from 2020 to 2022 current date, to meet the increasing demand for support to deploy clinical research studies from the Stanford University School of Medicine across Stanford Health Care Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient clinical care delivery settings.
A Closer Look: Nursing and Patient Care Services Research Department
Three Divisions:
1. Clinical Trials Research Operations and Practice
2. Health Equity Research, Operations and Practice
3. Academic Nursing and Patient Care Research