At the 2025 AMSN Convention, Chandra Grim, RN, MSN, CRN, MEDSURG-BC, presented the “Bring New Life Into Retired Lead: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Using Lead Aprons as Weighted Blankets to Reduce State Anxiety in Patients” poster, which focused on repurposing existing equipment into a simple, nonpharmacologic intervention to improve patient care. In this Q&A, Grim discusses how questions from everyday nursing practice can result in meaningful improvements in patient care and why medical-surgical nurses are uniquely positioned to identify opportunities for research and offers advice to other nurses interested in pursuing research studies.

What is the value of research?

Research gives nurses the opportunity to question why we do things the way we do and determine whether there may be a better approach. Nurses are at the bedside every day and often recognize problems, patterns, or opportunities for improvement that might otherwise be overlooked. Research gives us a structured way to take those observations and turn them into evidence that can improve patient care.

An intervention does not have to be complicated or expensive to make a meaningful difference in patient care. My study began with a simple idea: Repurposing retired lead aprons as weighted blankets to help reduce patient anxiety. By formally studying this intervention, I was able to move beyond an observation and determine whether this practical, nurse-driven approach could produce measurable changes in both anxiety and physiologic responses. Research gives nurses the opportunity to transform questions that arise in everyday practice into evidence that can improve care.

How is your research making an impact, big or small, or how do you anticipate it will make a difference?

I hope my research study demonstrates that meaningful improvements in patient care can begin with simple, practical ideas. An everyday observation or thought can develop into something much larger when nurses are encouraged to ask questions, think creatively, and explore new approaches to care. In this study, repurposing retired lead aprons gave existing equipment a new purpose while providing a simple, nonpharmacologic intervention focused on reducing anxiety and improving patient comfort.

More broadly, I hope this work encourages nurses to look creatively at the resources already available within their practice environments and to recognize the value of their everyday clinical observations. A simple question such as, “Could we do this differently?” has the potential to become a research question, inspire innovation, and ultimately lead to meaningful changes in nursing practice and patient care.

What did you enjoy most about your poster work?

What I enjoyed most was having the opportunity to take a simple idea and share it with a broader nursing audience. Presenting the poster was especially rewarding because it gave me the chance to connect with other nurses, hear their perspectives, and answer their questions. It was exciting to see their interest in the study and to discuss how simple, creative ideas that begin at the bedside can grow into research.

Do you anticipate conducting further research on this topic, and if so, what are your next steps?

Yes, I am interested in conducting further research on this topic! My initial findings were encouraging, and I believe the next step would be to evaluate the intervention in a larger and more diverse patient population to determine whether certain groups may benefit more than others. I am also interested in exploring whether the use of lead aprons as weighted blankets could reduce the amount of sedation medication needed during procedures. Ultimately, I would like to build on this initial study to better understand where this intervention may be most effective and whether these findings can be replicated on a larger scale.

How does your research impact medical-surgical nursing best practices but also make an impact across other nursing specialties? How is medical-surgical nursing research leading the charge?

Medical-surgical nursing provides a strong foundation for recognizing and addressing the many factors that affect a patient’s overall experience and outcomes. Although my research was conducted in interventional radiology, anxiety is not unique to that setting. Patients experience anxiety throughout the healthcare continuum, making simple, nonpharmacologic interventions that promote comfort potentially relevant across many nursing specialties.

Medical-surgical nurses are uniquely positioned to identify opportunities for research because they care for patients with a wide range of diagnoses, needs, and levels of complexity. They see firsthand how nursing interventions can influence both the patient experience and clinical outcomes. Research that begins with observations at the bedside can generate practical solutions that extend well beyond medical-surgical nursing.

Are there other research topics that you’d like to pursue in the future, and if so, what excites you most about that potential work?

There are so many topics that I would love to research! I am interested in studying fall prevention in ambulatory settings, where patients may have different risk factors and circumstances than those in the inpatient environment. I am also interested in exploring the use of virtual imagery or immersive technology as a nonpharmacologic approach to reducing anxiety before and during procedures. Another area that interests me is procedural safety, including research on strengthening time-out protocols and identifying strategies that improve staff engagement and consistent adherence.

What excites me most about these topics is that they address challenges nurses encounter in everyday practice and have the potential to lead to practical changes in care. I enjoy asking why we do something a certain way, identifying opportunities for improvement, and then using research to determine whether a different approach can improve safety or the patient experience.

What advice do you have for other medical-surgical nurses who are considering pursuing a research study?

My advice would be to start with a question that comes from your everyday nursing practice. Nurses are constantly identifying problems and thinking about ways to improve care without realizing that those observations can become meaningful research questions. You do not need to begin with a complicated idea; sometimes the simplest questions can lead to meaningful discoveries.

I would also encourage nurses not to be intimidated by the research process. Seek out mentors, collaborate with colleagues, and take advantage of the resources available within your organization. Be willing to ask questions and learn as you go. Each step of the process builds your knowledge and confidence, and the experience can open the door to future research opportunities.