At the 2024 AMSN Convention, Sharon Walsh, MS, RN, presented the “Developing an Education Module for Nurses Aimed at Enhancing Foot Care Assessment Skills for Patients During an Inpatient Hospitalization” poster, which involved the implementation of an education module to improve nurses’ foot care assessment skills and improve the physical and emotional well-being of patients at risk for diabetic foot ulcers and/or amputations. In this Q&A, Walsh discusses the value of nursing research, the impact of her research, and how other medical-surgical nurses can pursue research.

What is the value of research?

The research conducted brought to light an area of acute-care nursing that’s often incidentally overlooked when completing a full patient assessment and providing patient education. I created a foot care assessment skills educational module for nurses based on data that I collected through assessing and interviewing patients, combined with literature review regarding nursing foot care practices.

The literature review showed the availability of limited information regarding foot assessment skills in both primary and acute care. The data collected via patient interview supported that there is a lack of patient understanding regarding foot care and that foot care was an issue in our patient population. Questionnaires were provided to RNs to determine their foot assessment skills before and after the completion of the education model. The questionnaire results supported the need for incorporating a screening tool into their assessment practices to improve patient care. The literature review showed the impact poor foot care has on a patient and their family.

The value of research in such a project can be seen in its provision of education to nursing staff regarding the prevention and delayed development of a foot abnormality in patients to reduce emotional, financial, and physical debilitation. This research project was the focus of my final project to earn my master’s degree in nursing and obtain an education certificate, and I wanted that final project to help provide improved care to my patients.

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

The implementation of my educational module remains a work in progress as an overall standard system process at my current place of employment (POE). The module has been rolled out on my unit and has assisted in improving regular foot assessments on admission. Current practice is to document foot abnormalities via charting and photos, initiating wound care or other prevention measures, and completing a consult for advanced wound care or an intervention by either podiatry or the vascular team based on the wound. The use of the education module will improve RN assessment skills and identify people with or at risk of a foot abnormality.

What did you enjoy most about your poster work?

I was enthusiastic to share my research and project with nurses outside of my medical center. It was exciting to discuss my project with convention participants and learn about their research and projects at their medical centers. Nursing is an ever-growing field, and nurses’ ability to continually participate and share evidence-based knowledge will allow for our professional growth.

It was also amazing to be able to use my master’s program research at a national level, and I look forward to hopefully having the opportunity to present at future conventions.

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

I am hoping to continue my research as the module rolls out to other areas of my POE. I am currently working with two peers on my unit to expand wound care knowledge and assessment skills. We have played a role in rolling out the “Four Eyes in Four Hours” skin assessment intervention, along with proper identification and documentation of skin issues. I am a wound treatment associate champion on my unit, and in my role, I support my peers in skin and wound assessments, including foot assessments.

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?

I am currently working on improving assessment and wound care skills on my unit. I have a project that I did start and have on the back burner regarding safety and disruptive behavior in the workplace. I am an instructor in our Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) program and have sat on the Disruptive Behavior Board. This is an important topic to keep at the forefront at my POE. I started a literature review and found that there is limited information regarding violence and disruptive behavior in the workplace, and I started working on a questionnaire for all employees at my POE regarding workplace violence. My goal in 2025 is to start working on the questionnaire again and provide the data to our PMDB coordinator to determine if changes need to be made to the program.

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

Change and progress is ever constant. For nursing to continually progress in a positive direction, nurses — especially those in medical-surgical areas — are highly relied on to conduct and implement research. What worked best for me was finding a topic that I was excited about and determining how my research could impact patient care. In my master’s program, I did a great deal of research on type 2 diabetes and how that impacted foot health. In my time as a bedside nurse, I discovered how poor foot health was in my patient population and how diabetes, along with peripheral vascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, impacted foot health. I looked at what I learned and what I was witnessing (in class and in direct care practice), and that sparked my drive to look deeper into foot care and assessment. If you are passionate about a topic, the work becomes a labor of love, rather than a task to complete.

Whether one is pursuing a higher degree or not, we owe it to our profession to help improve the quality of patient care being provided.