AACN selects Linda L. Chlan as 2016 Distinguished Research Lecturer

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recently selected Linda L. Chlan, RN, PhD, FAAN, as its 2016 Distinguished Research Lecturer.

The award recognizes nurses whose research significantly influences high acuity and critical care. Established in 1982, it is now funded by a grant from Philips Healthcare, Andover, Massachusetts.

With a nursing career spanning more than 25 years, Chlan is widely known for her commitment to improve physical and psychological experiences and outcomes for critically ill patients who are mechanically ventilated. Through her research, she seeks ways to appropriately empower patients to help manage their distress and anxiety related to being mechanically ventilated.

Chlan is the Dean's Distinguished Professor of Symptom Management Research at The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Nursing, Columbus. In addition, she is the associate director of OSU's Center of Excellence in Critical and Complex Care, where she also serves as director of symptom science.

Her research focuses on testing innovative, patient-centered symptom management interventions to improve outcomes for patients undergoing mechanical ventilation in intensive care units.

Chlan is nationally known as one of the first to rigorously test music intervention for critically ill patients being mechanically ventilated. She developed, tested and refined music selection criteria for these patients, particularly as an intervention to reduce anxiety and sedative exposure.

She led a multidisciplinary research team in completing a randomized clinical trial testing patient-directed music listening for anxiety self-management to reduce use of sedatives in patients who are mechanically ventilated. Anxiety decreased 36 percent, and sedative exposure decreased 35 percent in patients who self-initiated music listening based on their own needs. These results were published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and received extensive media coverage.

Her work has led to discoveries regarding decreased neuromuscular functioning of patients who are ventilated, revealing the dramatic decline as a result of immobilization beyond general disease debilitation.

Chlan continues to break new ground with patient-centered symptom management interventions. The first to report on the proof of principle that patients who are mechanically ventilated could self-administer their own sedative therapy, Chlan is currently studying the safety and feasibility of patient-controlled sedation. The concept is a radically different approach to traditional, clinician-only sedative delivery.

Prior to joining OSU in 2013, she worked at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing for 13 years, advancing from graduate student to research and teaching assistant and later to full-time faculty as an associate professor.

Chlan spent nearly 10 years as a staff nurse/charge nurse at hospitals in Minnesota before transitioning into teaching and research.

Her expertise is widely recognized, with more than 50 articles and a multitude of presentations to local, regional, national and international audiences. She serves on the editorial boards for Heart & Lung, Critical Care Alert and Music & Medicine.

AACN previously honored Chlan with its Circle of Excellence award in 2012 in recognition of her sustained contributions to acute and critical care nursing. The American Academy of Nursing has honored her as a fellow and as an Emerging Edge Runner. Among her numerous other awards, she has been recognized by the Society of Critical Care Medicine and The DAISY Foundation. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International and the American Thoracic Society.

She received her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Minnesota and completed a post-doctoral research training fellowship at the College of Nursing, University of Iowa. She earned her undergraduate degree at the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, Minnesota.

As the Distinguished Research Lecturer, Chlan will discuss her career and research journey Monday, May 16, 2016, during AACN's National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition (NTI). The world's largest educational conference and trade show for acute and critical care nurses, NTI takes place Monday, May 16, through Thursday, May 19, 2016, in New Orleans (Preconferences are Sunday, May 15).

The American Journal of Critical Care will publish an abstract of Chlan's presentation in its May 2016 issue, followed by a complete manuscript in July 2016.

Source: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses