Over 1,700 Ukrainian Nurses Complete GMKA’s Virtual Course on Quality and Safety
The virtual course “Quality and Safety in Nursing,” developed by the Global Medical Knowledge Alliance (GMKA) in collaboration with Houston Methodist in Houston, Texas, has concluded with 1,705 Ukrainian nurses in attendance. During the ongoing war, this initiative provided timely and essential support for nurses in Ukraine, delivering critical knowledge in quality and safety — areas of heightened importance as the Ukrainian healthcare system operates under immense pressure and limited resources.
For a month, Ukrainian nursing staff received lectures from experts at Houston Methodist — one of the leading healthcare systems and academic medical centers in the United States, which comprises eight hospitals, including a flagship academic hospital located in the Texas Medical Center, as well as a research institute, an international patient care program, and a network of outpatient care facilities.
The course focused on preventive strategies for catheter-associated infections, effective communication algorithms, and process optimization methods, as well as enhancing collaboration skills within multidisciplinary teams to improve patient safety. This is especially important, as the quality of nursing care directly affects the overall standard of medical care.
The course was attended by 1,891 participants, 90.3% of whom (n = 1,705) were practicing nurses, and 186 other specialists: medical college students, midwives, and doctors.
The largest number of nursing staff members joined the course from medical institutions in the western part of Ukraine (56%), 18% from Kyiv, and 8% from the south and central part of Ukraine. 18% of course participants were from the eastern part of Ukraine, including regions affected by the war. It is significant that despite difficult circumstances and limited resources, the Ukrainian medical community continues to develop and seeks opportunities to improve the quality and safety of medical care at all levels.
Course participants are involved in various fields of medicine:
- 10.6 % — internal medicine;
- 16.8 % — surgery and neurosurgery;
- 9 % — emergency care;
- 3.5 % — rehabilitation;
- 1.8 % — neurology;
- 1.1 % — anesthesiology.
- 57.2 % — others.
“This course was the most in-demand of all our educational projects, with a record number of participants registering. At GMKA, we deeply appreciate this level of interest and remain committed to developing initiatives that address the real needs of Ukrainian healthcare professionals. A high-quality healthcare system cannot function without the involvement of all levels of the medical team. That is why we create opportunities for professional development not only for physicians but also for nursing staff. Nurses make up a huge part of the medical community — beyond their role in treatment, they are continuously present with patients and often the first to notice changes in a patient’s condition. It is important for us to improve the quality of knowledge of nurses in Ukraine, as it directly contributes to improving the overall quality of patient care," said Dr. Nelya Melnitchouk, MD, MSc, FACS, surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, USA), and co-founder of GMKA.
The training was conducted in English with simultaneous translation and included lectures on the following topics:
- Prevention of Catheter-Associated Infections.
- Safe Medication Practices.
- Communication for Safer Care.
- Nurse-led Initiatives in Quality and Safety.
According to the survey results of 285 participants, all four sessions showed a significant increase in both practical skills and self-assessed knowledge (scale 1–5, where 1 = no change; 5 = considerable improvement).
The change in knowledge level on the indicated topics due to participation in the lectures ranged from 4.49 to 4.69. The improvement in confidence in applying knowledge in practice ranged from 4.45 to 4.70.
Details by topic:
- Nurse-led Initiatives in Quality and Safety:
- knowledge gain: 4.69
- confidence in practical application: 4,70
- Safe Medication Practices:
- knowledge gain: 4,60
- confidence in practical application: 4,58
- Communication for Safer Care
- knowledge gain: 4,58
- confidence in practical application: 4,58
- CHORUS Criteria and CAUTI Prevention
- knowledge gain: 4,49
- confidence in practical application: 4,45
High scores on both metrics indicate that participants not only gained new knowledge but also developed confidence in applying it — with a particularly strong impact seen in the area of nursing quality and safety initiatives.
“I wanted to gain new knowledge that could be applied in our practice and to learn how nursing is organized abroad. The most valuable things for me were understanding the organization of work and shift handovers, as well as effective communication with patients and colleagues. Overall, the course provided a strong foundation for professional development. We plan to expand our team to introduce several new areas in our work and apply the knowledge and skills gained. As a result, we can now provide medical care more efficiently, and manage our working time more effectively. The course also emphasized effective communication with patients, which is a crucial part of our daily work”, – said Lidiya Holyanska, head nurse of the “1st Territorial Medical Association of Lviv”.
Course curator — Shannan K. Hamlin, PhD, RN, Houston Methodist.
Dr. Hamlin is a member of the expert panel on content for nurse practitioners in gerontological emergency care for adults in the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Her research focuses on hemodynamics and the role of hemorheology in the microcirculation of patients with serious diseases.
Lecturers:
- Courtney Cromer, MS, RN, BS, CCRN, CV-BC — Instructor in Nursing, Academic Institute, Center for Nursing Research, Education and Practice, Houston Methodist. She works in intensive care, providing care for patients with cardiovascular events, and contributes to nursing education through the implementation of evidence-based practices.
- Daniel Kerr, MSN, RN-BC, CNML, CCRN — Instructor in Nursing, Academic Institute, Center for Nursing Research, Education and Practice, DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, Houston Methodist. His areas of professional activity include the development of clinical competencies, implementation of multi-format training, improvement of care quality, and promotion of transparency in hospital quality indicators.
- Charlean Mason, MSN, RN, CVRN — Nursing Professional Practice Leader, Houston Methodist. She implements practical, evidence-based training programs, enhances the clinical competence of nurses, and develops a system of continuous professional learning within the hospital.
- Deepa Lalu, MSN, RN-BC — Instructor in Nursing, Academic Institute, Center for Nursing Research, Education and Practice, Houston Methodist. She is the editor-in-chief of the DiscoveRN, an internal online publication for Houston Methodist nurses.
- Raquel Contreras, RN, AGACNP — Manager of Nursing, Houston Methodist. She has over 25 years of experience in cardiology, leads the Advanced Heart Failure Unit program, and plays an active role in both clinical and administrative management of cardiovascular patient care.
- Morgan Medellin, MSN, RN, NE-BC — Nursing Director, Houston Methodist. She leads the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. Her work focuses on nursing care in transplantation and managing nursing teams within a highly specialized clinical setting.