Evaluating the Outcomes of an Organizational Initiative to Expand End-of-Life Resources in Intensive Care Units With...

Natalie S McAndrew¹, Colleen McCracken, Aniko Szabo+3

• ¹Natalie S. McAndrew, PhD, RN, ANCS-BC, CCRN-K, is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Nurse Scientist at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Dr McAndrew's program of research focuses on developing, testing and translating interventions to increase collaborative palliative care for patients and their families in acute and critical care. Colleen McCracken, BSN, RN, CMSRN, CHPN, OCN, is a nurse educator for an inpatient oncology and palliative care unit at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. As a palliative and hospice expert she focuses on improving patient access to these services and supporting high quality palliative and hospice nursing care. Aniko Szabo, PhD, is an associate professor and director of the Biostatistics Consulting Service at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Dr Sabo's research interests are in statistical modeling of biomedical data. She collaborates with biomedical investigators across the entire spectrum of translational research. Balaji Narayanan, MS, IE, is a process improvement leader and Six Sigma Black Belt at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Mr. Narayanan is interested in supporting the growth of palliative and hospice care within healthcare organizations. Wendy Peltier, MD, is an associate professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Section Head of the Palliative Care Center in the Division of Hematology and Oncology. Dr Peltier has extensive background in medical education, leadership and neuromuscular neurology. She is interested in the development of models for 'upstream' palliative care in serious illness and inpatient hospice for critically ill patients. Jane Leske, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, FAAN, is professor Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee College of Nursing and a Nurse Scientist at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. Dr Leske is well known for her 30-year history of research focused on family needs in the ICU. Her research has been central to changes in the care for families of critically ill individuals worldwide.