The Center for Nursing Research & Innovation

Center Educational Activities

Center Sponsors

The Director of the Center for Nursing Research & Innovation is Mary Foley, RN, PhD. Dr. Foley is also an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Physiological Nursing at the UCSF School of Nursing. Both Stanford and UCSF are world-renowned universities with outstanding medical centers, and a major activity of the Center is to provide education that contributes to improving nursing practice, patient care and organizational performance.

Educational Offerings

The Center's Faculty of Record:

• Presents The Evidence-Based Practice Fellows Role Development Program
• Organizes the annual Research Days, a two-day educational conference.
• Participates in the Patient Care Services (PCS) Grand Rounds at UCSF.
• Gives invited lectures to students in academic courses and staff in wide ranging CE programs and settings.

Venous Access Safety Series

ABCs of VAD course

Venous access devices (VADs) are an invaluable, lifesaving, clinical tool used in contemporary health care. A high volume clinical procedure, central venous catheter (CVC) complication rates in hospitals are well over 10%, resulting in billions of dollars in additional health care costs (Scott, 1995). As a health care professional who works with catheterized patients, there are many things you can do to reduce the risk of venous access complications.

This module presents an overview of the compelling patient safety problems associated with the use of central venous access devices, the scope of these problems, and current interdisciplinary efforts addressing them. The module also presents measures designed to reduce the risk of central venous access complications.

Safe CVC Removal Course

Central venous catheter placement has become a routine intervention along the continuum of health care. In any given year, these "life lines" for vascular access are inserted and removed millions of times. Yet, while life saving, the use and removal of CVCs also have inherent risks. There are several adverse events that are associated with CVC removal in particular, including air embolism, thrombotic emboli, catheter fracture and hemorrhage. While these complications are relatively uncommon, they make what seems a minor procedure a life threatening even for the catheterized patient.

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