Rationing Missed Care: DCU Participate in RANCARE Project

The launch of the COST-funded project ‘RATIONING – MISSED CARE: An international and multidimensional problem’ took place on 20th September 2016 in Brussels. There is increasing evidence that the prevalence of rationing of nursing care is high in acute care hospitals internationally and is consistently associated with negative patient, nurse and organizational outcomes. The Rationing of Care (RANCARE) Action aims to facilitate discussion about rationing of nursing care based on a cross-national comparative approach with implications for practice and professional development. This will be achieved by advancing collaboration and networking, and exchange of expertise and knowledge both at European and international level, and by integrating different disciplines and approaches including nursing, ethics, health care studies in general, economics and social policy. Ireland is participating in the Action through the School of Nursing and Human Sciences in DCU and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems at UCD. Dr Marcia Kirwan (DCU) and Dr Amanda Phelan (UCD) are both members of the Management Committee of the Action and Marcia Kirwan has been elected as the Vice-Chairperson of Working Group 4 which is intended to build on the evidence of the implications of missed care on patient outcomes, and examine the implications for the nursing curriculum. The RANCARE Action was one of the 26 successful proposals (out of 260 applications) from all EU countries. The chair of the project is Dr Evridiki Papastavrou, associate professor at the Cyprus University of Technology (Nursing Department); the same university is the Grant Holder. The Action has participants from 28 countries (EU and International) from across disciplines: nursing, psychology, philosophy, ethics, health economics, health management with a range of experts such as academics, professionals, policy makers, educational trainers, and patient groups. For more information please see: www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15208