Nursing students from Western Michigan University leading research to improve patient care

Western Michigan University nursing students Maddie Bies, David Le, and Jordyn Swenson are working with Ascension Borgess Hospital on a project that could impact patient care in a big way. The team of students is researching and analyzing data from the hospital to see if it would be beneficial to switch from the industry-standard Braden Scale when assessing ulcer risk to the newer and more objective Shieh Score.

According to an article on Western Michigan University’s website, Dave Neuman, who is a wound ostomy coordinator at Ascension Borgess Hospital, was quoted as saying of the students’ project, "What the Western Michigan University students are doing is retrospectively analyzing our internal data utilizing the Shieh scale to see if we could have captured more patients who would have been pressure injury risks who were not labeled as risks.” He added of the results so far, "The initial data from the students' research is already so compelling that nursing leadership is excited about the possibilities.”

The Braden Scale is the currently used tool to help care providers determine if their patients are at risk for developing ulcers and pressure wounds. The scale is subjective, and the answers might change based on the perspective of the person filling out the scale. The Shieh Score is an alternative ulcer risk indicator that is intended to be more accurate due to less opportunity for subjectivity.

The nursing students are benefiting from the opportunity to analyze data and conduct research. The possibility that their findings could influence real-life best practices is exciting for Le, who said, "The fact that we're last-year nursing students on the forefront of this effort is pretty phenomenal. I really love research, and this project reflects how much care has evolved—and we're adding to it. I know we're just at the beginning, but it's crazy to think that one day maybe hospitals will be using this Shieh scale."

Swenson added, "I like seeing this new scale and seeing how well it's working so far. I'm really excited to see where this goes and see how it's implemented into this hospital and possibly throughout the country."

In a related part of their nursing journey at Ascension Borgess Hospital, Bies, Le, and Swenson also led the International Pressure Ulcer/Injury Prevention (IPUP) Survey, for which they coordinated a team of student volunteers to collect data that will help inform the healthcare system at large about pressure wound occurrences. The student-run survey evolved from a former Western nursing student’s school project and has grown ever since. This year’s student effort was the largest yet.

"To the best of my knowledge, this is the only student-run operation in the nation. We've been doing this in collaboration with Western for about five or six years now, and it's been fantastically successful," said Neuman.

Neuman went on to praise the students he works with from Western Michigan University, and the university as a whole. He said, "I've had nothing but excellent students from Western in my entire tenure here. It says a lot about our student externs and the buy-in from the University. It's just a great partnership."

Jaime Neary, who serves as faculty specialist II of nursing, explained why these opportunities are crucial for students, saying, "We're really honing in on advancing their assessment skills. When they do these surveys, they're finding that the pressure ulcers are not always properly charted, so it's giving them a lot of practice for assessment skills and communication skills in explaining what they are doing to patients. We tell them all the time how important charting and documentation is … but this really gives them examples and will help their skills after graduation."

For more information about Western Michigan University, visit the school’s website.