HIRSH INSTITUTE
ABOUT THE HIRSH INSTITUTE
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The Sarah Cole Hirsh Institute for Best Nursing Practices Based on Evidence was established by the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing in 1998. The goal of the Institute is to facilitate the integration into practice of the most current available best evidence to support nurses and other health professionals in their clinical decision-making.
Historically, nursing and medical practices have been based to a large extent on expert opinion and tradition. Nursing practice based on the best available evidence is the ideal basis for delivering optimal health care and assuring positive patient outcomes. Through the integration of research into practice, the Hirsh Institute stimulates the use of best nursing practices based on evidence as a basis for delivering superior health care, shaping the next phase of nursing research, and providing educational standards for nursing education and practice.
The Hirsh Institute is made possible by a bequest from the estate of Sarah "Sally" Cole Hirsh, a dedicated alumna (MN '45). Throughout her career, Sally Hirsh was a dedicated volunteer for the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. From 1963-69, she served as national chair of the University Medical Center Development Program and helped raise substantial funds for the construction of the building that currently houses the nursing school. In 1973, Mrs. Hirsh received the school's first Alumni Award. She continued to serve FPB until her death in 1997. |
SARAH COLE HIRSHThe Hirsh Institute is prepared to assist organizations and individual nurses in the development of necessary skills to use evidence in the support of clinical practice.
The goal of the Hirsh Institute is to enhance nursing practice and health care delivery by:
- Offering basic, intermediate, and advanced certificate programs in evidence-based nursing practice
- Searching multiple databases for best practice evidence and synthesizing findings into specific practice change recommendations
- Helping to set priorities for nursing research by identifying areas where scientific evidence is lacking
- Partnering with healthcare organizations in the implementation and evaluation of knowledge transfer projects
- Partnering with researchers in the development of implementation plans and strategies for translating research findings into practice
- Preparing nurse leaders in evidence-based nursing practice who can facilitate the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based practice initiatives across settings of care