Simpson Serves as Lead Investigator in NIH Study

Kathleen Simpson, RN, served as the lead investigator as part of a recently completed multi-center, randomized trial evaluating the effect of one-to-one nursing care during labor and birth. The study, funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institute of Health, included 12 participating locations in the United States and Canada.

The study had a total of more than 6,900 participants. St. John’s Mercy Medical Center generated the highest number of participants with more than 1,200. With greater than 17 percent of the total study participants, the Medical Center was instrumental in this investigation. The study focused on measuring the outcomes of Cesarean birth care, overall cost of care and patient satisfaction.

Results of the study were presented at a conference held at the University of Toronto, the coordinating center for the study, in November 2001.