AACN awards $50,000 Impact Research Grant to Duke nursing professor

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently awarded a $50,000 AACN Impact Research Grant to Brigit Carter, RN, PhD, MSN, CCRN, assistant clinical professor at Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, N.C., to study feeding intolerance in preterm infants.

Her current research focuses on nursing care of premature infants with serious illnesses. For this study, Carter and her research team will monitor intra-abdominal pressure in very low birth weight preterm infants with the aim of identifying early symptoms of feeding intolerance. The findings could help healthcare providers better adjust feeding volumes, resulting in more rapid postnatal growth, thereby reducing the length of hospital stay and hospital costs.

Carter teaches pediatrics in the accelerated BSN program and practices in the Duke University Medical Center Intensive Care Nursery, where she has 12 years of clinical experience. Before becoming a nurse, Carter served nine years on active duty in the U.S. Navy and three years as a police officer in Atlanta.

AACN Impact Research Grants support clinical inquiry that drives change in high acuity and critical care nursing practice. Priority projects address gaps in clinical research at the organization or system level and translation of these findings to bedside clinicians. Projects include use of technology to assess patients and manage outcomes; ways to create a healing and humane environment; and processes and systems to optimize high acuity and critical care nursing.

This year, AACN awarded two Impact Research Grants, which will increase to three in 2013. The grants are available to established researchers and beginning researchers with mentors, and applicants may request up to $50,000 in total costs for a maximum of three years.

Jean Anne Connor, RN, DNSc, CPNP, director of nursing research in the cardiovascular program at Children's Hospital Boston, received the second 2012 Impact Research Grant to conduct a 12-month pilot study to explore how children's hospitals across the United States measure the quality of care provided by pediatric cardiovascular nurses.

Other 2012 grants from AACN support a variety of projects ranging from research on clinical outcomes in preterm, pediatric and adult patient populations to identifying quality of life issues among parental caregivers. Recipients are as follows:
•Michelle Degrazia, PhD, RN, NNP-BC, Children's Hospital Boston (AACN-Edwards Lifesciences Nurse-driven Clinical Practice Outcomes Grant)
•Rachel Joseph, RN, MSN, CCRN, Christiana Care Health Systems, Newark, Del. (AACN-Sigma Theta Tau Critical Care Grant)
•Alison Montpetit, PhD, RN, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing, Richmond, Va. (AACN-Philips Medical Systems Clinical Outcomes Grant)
•Camilla Pearson, RN, Medstar Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C. (AACN-Philips Medical Systems Clinical Outcomes Grant)
•Christina Stewart-Amidei, MSN, RN, CNRN, CCRN, FAAN, University of Central Florida College of Nursing, Orlando, Fla. (AACN-Philips Medical Systems Clinical Outcomes Grant)

AACN developed the Impact Research Grants in its ongoing effort to support clinical research for high acuity and critical care nursing. The association also awards the following grants annually: the AACN-Sigma Theta Tau Critical Care Grant for up to $10,000; as many as three AACN-Philips Medical Systems Clinical Outcomes Grants, up to $10,000 each; up to two AACN-Edwards Lifesciences Nurse-driven Clinical Practice Outcomes Grants, up to $5,000 each; and the AACN Physio-Control Clinical Practice Grant for up to $1,500.

Principal investigators must be current AACN members. All AACN research grant applications must be submitted online by Nov. 1, 2012. For more information, including award criteria and supporting documents, visit www.aacn.org/grants.