ACRUN's mission is to improve/optimize health outcomes by building and strengthening networks among researchers,
decision makers, providers, and policy makers in the Atlantic provinces.
Through these linkages ACRUN aims to:
increased our collective capacity to perform high quality, relevant, nursing-related research
disseminate and improve access to research
influence/improve the uptake or utilization of research findings in decision making at all leves
The idea of an Atlantic research network for nurses was formulated by Sue Bookchin, RN, MPH, and Marilyn Bacon, RN, MEd.
of Bacon Bookchin Associates with Gail Tomblin-Murphy, RH, MN, Associate Professor at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.
They felt that with the new emphasis on funding for research in nursing and nursing policy, an opportunity to link
nurse researchers, educators, providers, decision makers and policy makers together was timely. Thus, an advantage could
be gained by consolidating research initiatives that were both responsive to real needs, and critical for guiding nursing
policy.
This initial idea expanded into the entire Atlantic region, and has resulted in the establishment of the Atlantic Consortium
for Research Utilization in Nursing (ACRUN).
ACRUN is still a fledgling virtual group with strong commitment from members in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, PEI,
and New Brunswick. Meetings are held through teleconferencing and an e-mail network
<nurses@www.nurs.mun.ca> linking members across the Atlantic provinces.
Our work is defined by its relenvace to all four Atlantic provinces. In building our collective research capacity all
Atlantic provinces have input and opportunity to participate in all initiatives.
ACRUN is a body committed to collaborative Atlantic, nursing-related research, but servers no regulatory function
We use a partnership approach to the research we do, requiring each partner to play an active and meaningful role in
the process.
ACRUN promotes research that is responsive to real and identified needs among the partners.
We uphold access, utilization, and uptake of research by those who need it, as essential as conducting high quality
research.
Research will be disseminated in a variety of user-friendly ways.
We both respond to calls for proposals AND influence the research agenda.
We act as a resource and access point for nurses and other stakeholders for nursing and related research.
Submitted a proposal to Canadian Health Services Research Foundation to develop an ACRUN Communication
Infrastructure. Although we were unsuccessful the group continues to explore potential funders to establish the network.
Nov. 1999
Submitted a Letter of Intent to Canadian Health Services Research Foundation to study "Effective Mechanisms and
Policies for Establishing, Monitoring and Predicting the Needs for Nursing Services around Chronic Renal Failure in the
Atlantic Region"
Feb. 2000
Received a $1000 seed grant for development of study proposal from the Maritime Center for Excellence in Women's
Health.
Mar. 2000
Full proposal was submitted to for study "Effective Mechanisms and Policies for Establishing, Monitoring and
Predicting the Needs for Nursing Services around Chronic Renal Failure in the Atlantic Region" submitted
Sept. 2000
The above study was funded by CHSRF.
Nov. 2000
Submitted a letter of intent to CHSRF for the study "Meaning of the Lived Experience of Atlantic Region Nurses:
Perception of Their 'Workload' and its Meaning to Their Retention"
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