UNMC’s Joyce Black, PhD, the Florence Niedfelt Professor in the UNMC College of Nursing, has been appointed to join a group working on a World Health Organization report, “Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for patient safety,” that will explore ways of making health care safer during future public health crises.
Dr. Black, a professor in the college’s adult health and illness department, will serve as an expert for the sections on hospital falls and pressure injuries.
In a message to the nursing faculty, Tiffany Moore, PhD, interim associate dean of academic programs, congratulated Dr. Black.
“Dr. Black is a world-renowned expert in pressure injuries and hospital falls,” Dr. Moore said. “Dr. Black is the gold standard for a nurse scientist and has truly made an impact on patient care throughout the world. Many of the procedures and policies that guide hospital practice on pressure injuries are evidence-based because of Dr. Black’s dedication, passion and extensive knowledge in this area.”
Dr. Black said this is the first time she’s aware of that WHO was “digging down” into hospital-based injuries such as pressure ulcers and falls, and the interest arises from a sharp increase in such injuries during the pandemic.
“For me, it is a really positive statement that an organization of this magnitude is looking at care in the bedside,” she said. “That’s a huge change of direction, and this could be a first step to realizing the significant harm that comes to people from pressure ulcers and falls during hospital stays. These are things that we in the United States are very aware of and look at all the time, but internationally they are not as aware.”
To prepare for her new role, Dr. Black currently is researching literature to determine the effect of COVID on hospitalized patients during the pandemic.
“Without a doubt, that is going to be one of the things WHO is going to ask of us – that increase, how did that happen?” she said.
Dr. Black has presented her findings and evidence-based guidelines in multiple international conferences. She serves as consultant for hospital injuries for major medical centers around the country. She has won multiple awards from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, including the President’s Award in 2017.
She also chairs the International Expert Panel on Pressure Injury Prevention and Wound Care and is the section writer for the International Guidelines on Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment. She serves as member and executive committee member on multiple national and international associations and is frequently an expert witness/consultant in legal cases around the country.