Laurel A. Despins, PhD, RN

University of Missouri – Columbia (MU)

My research focuses health systems and patient safety, specifically on nurses’ detection of, and responses to, clinical deterioration. Nurses must deliver care to an increasing number of patients admitted with multiple pre-morbid conditions in an ever-changing environment where monitor/machine alarms, family demands, and increasing documentation requirements compete for their attention. To safely and effectively care for this fragile patent population, it is important to understand how nurses detect and respond to patient deterioration in order to develop new tools and/or processes or refine current ones.