Page 2 - School of Nursing Research | University of Rochester

Nursing Research: Preventing Disease, Promoting Health

Why is nursing research so critical to improving our nation’s health?

Nurses see patients across every health care setting. Whether it’s a
routine health exam, acute illness in the hospital, rehabilitation at home
or in a facility, or end-of-life care—a nurse will be there. We are also
educated to view a patient’s care from every perspective—biological,
psychological, social, and cultural.

As health care shifts from an illness model to a wellness model, our
knowledge of care across the lifespan is key to carrying out the national
research agenda. Often partnering with physicians and other scientists,
nurse researchers are actively seeking the most effective ways to
improve care coordination from illness through recovery, reduce risks
for disease and disability, promote healthy lifestyles, enhance quality
of life for people with chronic illness, eliminate health disparities and
inefficiencies, and improve care for people at the end of their lives.

Scientists at the School of Nursing are forging new paths in research areas of fundamental importance
to patients and families. We are developing ways to better control childhood asthma, lessen the pain
of cancer, and promote the health and independence of people with spinal cord injuries. We’re working
to make sure elderly patients receive quality, evidence-based care in hospitals and nursing homes, and
identifying the best ways of providing palliative care. We’re uncovering ways to slow the cognitive decline
of Alzheimer’s disease, helping women avoid the dangers of obesity, and exploring new ways to prevent
the spread of HIV.

But we can’t do our work alone. As competition increases for research dollars, our investigators depend on
outside support to continue their vital work.

Thank you in advance for supporting our nurse researchers who are dedicated to improving how health
care is provided today, and for generations to come.

Kathy H. Rideout, EdD, PNP-BC, FNAP
Dean, University of Rochester School of Nursing

ON THE COVER: School of Nursing associate professor Mary Carey, PhD, RN, CNS, records the heart
rate of an on-duty firefighter as part of her study focused on lowering firefighters’ risk of heart attacks.
Research shows that firefighters are four times more likely to have a cardiac event than the general
population, due to their higher than average heart rate. Carey is evaluating whether a more restful sleep
environment will help to lower their average heart rate and cardiac risk.

Photo Credits: Ken Huth and Karen O’Hern