Research Nursing

Collaborative Nursing for Research

The nursing service at the Clinical Research Center (CRC) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) consists of registered nurses and patient care technicians, with the Nurse Director serving as an Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Nurses at the CRC work within the collaborative practice model used across all nursing teams at BIDMC. They oversee the nursing care of research participants, implement study protocols and coordinate services during the patients' hospital stays. CRC nurses bring expertise across a wide range of clinical disciplines.

The team is committed to delivering exceptional care, facilitating clinical research and supporting nursing research efforts.

Operating within the collaborative practice model, each CRC nurse is responsible for providing care to study participants, ensuring the research protocol is followed, and managing the coordination of services throughout the patient's stay. Clinical Research Center nurses possess specialized expertise, including:

• Comprehensive care for research participants, from healthy volunteers to those with acute or chronic conditions.
• Experience managing complex inpatient and outpatient studies across various medical specialties in diverse settings.
• Accurate data collection, including precise timing of specimen collection.
• Extensive experience with Phase I clinical trials.
• 24/7 availability to support inpatient or outpatient activities, whether on the unit or elsewhere in the medical center.

Nurse Study Coordinator Role

The Clinical Research Center (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 by calling 617-667-5953 or by email.

Assistance with Pre-Review of Informed Consent

The CRC nursing staff are also available to review informed consents prior to IRB submission.