For Immediate Release
Medline Awards Over $700,000 in Prevention Above All Discoveries Grants to Support Innovative Healthcare Research
Grants to focus on the development and dissemination of evidence-based solutions
Wednesday, August 19, 2009 —
Medline Industries, Inc. announced today that thirteen research projects focused on advancing the knowledge of reducing hospital-acquired conditions will receive over $700,000 in research funding as recipients of its inaugural Prevention Above All Discoveries Grants. The awards were announced during Medline's 2nd Annual Prevention Above All conference in Washington, D.C.
An independent review panel selected seven studies aimed at developing and testing the feasibility of new solutions and six others for empirical study funding to test the costs, effectiveness or dissemination of evidence-based solutions from a competitive group of 58 Letters of Intent. Grant recipients will be paired with a research mentor/consultant to develop methods and guide the conduct of the study, ensuring that a rigorous research process is followed.
"Our goal with these grants is to foster good ideas," said Andrew Kramer, M.D., Head of the Department of Medicine's Health Care Policy and Research Division at the University of Colorado and Grant Review Committee Chair. "These awards will allow the recipients expand their ideas to the next level, as well as giving them a chance to learn about the research process."
These awards are designed to assist healthcare providers in developing and testing creative solutions or interventions for reducing or preventing hospital-acquired harms. Pilot grants are eligible for funding up to $25,000 each and empirical study grants up to $100,000 each.
"There are a lot of PhD's doing research, and they might have some great ideas, but there are also a lot of great ideas from the providers who are on the front lines of healthcare," said Kramer. "The feedback they give us is especially important since innovation is critical to advancing healthcare technology."
The newly awarded grants recipients:
Pilot Grants
Title: Surgical Time Out Assurance Program
Institution: Carilion Clinic – Roanoke, VA
Principal Investigator: Deb Copening
Target: Surgical site infection and errors
Title: Descriptive Study of OR Nursing Data Elements (Perioperative Clinical Processes, and Patient Outcomes)
Institution: AORN (Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses) – Denver, CO
Principal Investigator: AkkeNeel Talsma
Target: Errors obtained in the perioperative area (OR processing errors and surgical patient complications)
Title: Multi-institutional trial to test the validity of newly created HAI definitions and criteria designed especially for behavioral hospital and health care settings
Institution: Acadia Hospital - Bangor, ME
Principal Investigator: Thomas Shandera
Target: Healthcare acquired infections
Title: Pressure Ulcer Assessment Among Ethnically Diverse Patients
Institution: Kaiser Permanente - San Jose Medical Ctr
Principal Investigator: Katherine Ricossa
Target: Pressure ulcers
Title: Statewide Maine Infection Prevention Collaborative (MIPC)
Institution: Eastern Maine HealthCare System - Brewer, ME
Principal Investigator: Erik Steele
Target: Healthcare acquired infections
Title: Progressive Mobility Among Critically Ill and Critically Injured Patients: An Examination of Clinical Outcomes Prior to the Implementation of Standardized Guidelines
Institution: East Tennessee State University College of Nursing
Principal Investigator: Mona Baharestani
Target: VAP; Pressure ulcers; falls; DVT; PE; catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Title: Accelerating Pressure Ulcer Prevention Through Regional Collaboration – Partnership Grant
Institutions: The Hospital and HealthSystem Association of Pennsylvania/Health Care Improvement Foundation Pennsylvania
Principal Investigators: Lynn Leighton and Kate Flynn
Target: Pressure ulcers
Empirical Grants
Title: Cost Effectiveness of a Liquid Skin Protectant in the Prevention of Heel Pressure Ulcers
Institution: New York Methodist Hospital
Principal Investigator: Judy A LaJoie
Target: Heel pressure ulcers
Title: Pressure Ulcer Prevention via Early Detection and Documentation (both pediatric and adult)
Institution: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Principal Investigator: Marty O. Vischer
Target: Pressure ulcers
Title: Perioperative Positioning Injuries Program
Institution: Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Principal Investigator: Jesse M. Ehrenfeld
Target: Perioperative positioning related injuries
Title: Family Centered Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program
Institution: Grady Health System
Principal Investigator: Rhonda Scott
Target: Pressure ulcers
Title: Hand Hygiene Intervention Study
Institution: Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Principal Investigator: Maryelena Vargas
Target: Hospital Acquired Infections
Title: A Comprehensive Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program in a Multi-System Health Care Network
Institution: St. Luke's Hospital and Health Network
Principal Investigator: Joanne Labiak
Target: Pressure Ulcers
About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 250 major hospitals and health care systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.
Medline has a growing network of 34 distribution centers around the country, as well as an expanding, dedicated transportation fleet with over 160 vehicles in a variety of sizes to fit customers' specific delivery needs. The fleet is equipped with the latest navigation devices for enhanced order tracking and communication.