Alternatives to RCTs

April 28, 2014

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) have long been the gold standard in clinical research representing the best of what is known of research methodology. However, improvement science is a novel field of research with requirements for advanced methodologies ranging from observational to implementation design. As the landscape of improvement research evolves, so have the methodologies needed […]


Pediatric Special Interest Group

April 2, 2014

The first meeting of the Improvement Science Research Network’s Pediatric Special Interest Group (SIG) was held at a breakfast meeting during the 2013 Improvement Science Summit. This SIG was created to provide a forum for individuals who are interested in participation in quality improvement studies with a pediatric focus. At present, literature reviews of best […]


Pediatric Special Interest Group

April 2, 2014

The first meeting of the Improvement Science Research Network’s Pediatric Special Interest Group (SIG) was held at a breakfast meeting during the 2013 Improvement Science Summit. This SIG was created to provide a forum for individuals who are interested in participation in quality improvement studies with a pediatric focus. At present, literature reviews of best […]


Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)

February 19, 2014

Many organizations struggle with the implementation of known best practices and quality improvement interventions. Much of the difficulty in implementing effective strategies stems from a lack of understanding organizational context. An intervention that is shown to be effective in one unit or hospital does not mean it is generalizable to other settings. The complexity of […]


Academic-Practice Partnerships: A Backbone for Improvement

January 13, 2014

The 2010 Institute of Medicine’s Future of Nursing Report generated a sense of urgency to strengthen nursing practice and directed attention to the future of nursing education. The goals outlined in this report, including the increase in the number of baccalaureate prepared nurses and implementation of nurse residency programs, require the collaboration between academic and […]


Avoiding Workarounds through Systems Design – Anita Tucker Answers Your Questions

November 5, 2013

On October 30, 2013, Anita Tucker, ISRN Steering Council member and Associate Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School presented a web seminar titled “Avoiding Workarounds through Systems Design.” Below are questions that could not be answered during the scheduled session. Does a “service line” model of management (matrix model) improve or detract […]


Improvement Science Summit – A Participants Point of View

August 5, 2013

Article Contributed by Eileen Engh, MSN, RN-BC, CPN ISRN Research Associate, STAR-2 study PI and participant ISRN 2013 Improvement Science Summit It’s not often that one conference can achieve so many goals and introduce so many new ideas relevant and critical to our understanding of healthcare systems today.  In this case the 2013 Improvement Science […]


ISRN – A Partner on the Road to Magnet

June 28, 2013

Article Contributed by Vivian Low, MPH, RN-BC, FPCNA, ISRN Steering Council Member “So never lose an opportunity of urging a practical beginning, however small, for it is wonderful how often in such matters the mustard-seed germinates and roots itself.” – Florence Nightingale I have had a unique perspective on the various aspects of building investigative culture […]


Member Spotlight Sonya Osborne

May 21, 2013

Last year, Sonya R. Osborne joined the ISRN Coordinating Center for six weeks as an international visiting scholar. “The advantage to me, as a researcher in the early stages of my post-doctoral career, is that I was immersed in a nationally funded research center that focuses on evidence-based practice and the science of improving patient […]


Student Program

May 1, 2013

“The Summit student program will help create awareness [of improvement science] in students before they graduate and enter the workforce.” – Lily Thomas, PhD, RN, Vice President, System Nursing Research, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, ISRN Steering Council Member The 2013 Improvement Science Summit, the official conference of the Improvement Science Research Network (ISRN), will hold its […]