RCN announces Akinsanya Award 2010 shortlist
Published: 12 January 2010
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Research Society today announced the shortlist for the Akinsanya Award 2010 for Innovation in Doctoral Studies in Nursing.
The shortlist includes four theses on the following areas of healthcare:
• Psychosocial factors that can exacerbate severe asthma
• The psychosocial impact of frailty on people aged over 85
• Postoperative epidural analgesia for major abdominal surgery
• Living experiences of younger women with cancer of the vulva
The award is granted to the most innovative thesis in nursing and aims to celebrate and promote excellence in nursing scholarship, as well as innovation and its potential to influence health care policy and practice.
Commenting on the shortlist, Professor Carol Haigh, Professor in Nursing at Manchester Metropolitan University and chair of this year’s judging panel, said:
“Once again, the standard of submissions was excellent making it a difficult job for the shortlisting panel. These outstanding researchers are clearly aware of the contribution nursing knowledge can have on improving outcomes for patients and their families"
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said:
“This year’s shortlist demonstrates the wide variety of subjects, styles and the high quality of nursing research in UK. They are a testament to the vital role nursing research plays in encouraging excellence in healthcare and in developing the specialized knowledge needed to overcome the many health challenges the country faces.”
The shortlisted theses and their authors for the Akinsanya Award 2010 for Doctoral Studies in Nursing are:
• Exacerbations of severe asthma: psychosocial predictors and the impact of a nurse-led clinic – Dr Alison Pooler
• Holding it together: A psychosocial exploration of living with frailty in old age – Caroline Nicholson
• Prospective observational study of postoperative epidural analgesia for major abdominal surgery – Fiona Duncan
• The lived experience of younger women with cancer of the vulva: a phenomenological study – Hilary Jefferies
The winner will be announced at the RCN’s International Nursing Research Conference in Newcastle in May 2010.
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Notes for Editors
The Akinsanya Award is an innovative nurse research prize that involves UK-wide competition and crosses all nursing disciplines.
The award is named after RCN Fellow Professor Justus A. Akinsanya. The award will be given for the fourth time in 2010.
In addition to the Award, the winning author will receive £250, be supported in the dissemination of their work through a variety of media and will be awarded a free place at the RCN International Nursing Research Conference in Newcastle from 11th a-13th May 2010. The conference coincides with International Nurses Day on 12th May 2010.
All theses submitted for the Awards are deposited in the RCN’s ‘Steinberg Collection’, a unique collection of nursing theses held in the RCN Library.
To find out more information on the RCN Research Society and Akinsanya Awards, please visit www.rcn.org.uk/development/researchanddevelopment/rs/awards/
Further information about the RCN International Research Conference can be found at http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/event_details/rcn_events/the_2010_international_nursing_research_conference
For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.