Research Nursing Service
About Our Clinical Research Nursing
The Nursing Service of the Harvard Catalyst Clinical Research Center at BIDMC is composed of registered nurses and patient care technicians. The nurse director is an Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist. The nursing staff are dedicated to excellence in care, facilitating the clinical research program and supporting nursing research. Practicing in the collaborative practice model, used throughout nursing at BIDMC, each CRC nurse takes responsibility and accountability for providing care for study participants. CRC nurses manage the nursing care, implement the research study protocol, and coordinate services throughout the patient's hospitalization. The CRC nurses offer expertise in a wide variety of clinical disciplines. Special skills include:
- Expertise in the care of research volunteers spanning the wellness continuum from healthy volunteers to those with serious acute and chronic illness.
- Ability to conduct complex inpatient and outpatient studies within a broad range of medical specialties in a variety of settings.
- Accurate data collection including precise collection of timed specimens
- Extensive experience with Phase I trials
- 24/7 availability to accommodate inpatient or outpatient activity, either on the unit or elsewhere in the medical center
Nurse Study Coordinator Role
The CRC nursing staff is actively involved in research protocols from the beginning of each study. This is assured through the role of study coordinator. Each CRC approved study is assigned a nurse coordinator. Each registered professional nurse on the CRC carries approximately 15 - 30 studies at any one given time. The nurse study coordinator helps translate the investigator's proposal into a practical research protocol. Specific nursing responsibilities regarding protocols and testing procedures are delineated through the development of a nursing protocol for each study. This protocol includes a review of the purpose of the study, nursing preparation and responsibilities for testing, data collections, flow sheets, and any specific guidelines for patient safety. Together the nurse and investigator review this plan to ensure consistent and effective management of patient care and accurate data collection. Nursing staff work collaboratively with investigators to develop sample processing instructions for all samples collected. Additional personnel (nutritionist, laboratory staff, research assistants, clerical staff) are brought into the process as needed. Each study is presented to the nursing staff by the nurse study coordinator and the investigator's team. All inservices are videotaped therefore enabling all nurses to participate in educational activities. This assures that all staff hear the same information regarding a study and promotes close adherence to the protocol plan.
Education of Research Nurses
Research nurses working directly for investigators who are interested in an individualized orientation to the CRC may contact Kristine Hauser, MSN, FNP-C, Nurse Director.
Assistance with Pre-Review of Informed Consent
The CRC nursing staff are also available to review informed consents prior to IRB submission.