Dr Tamara Page

An appointment dedicated to nursing research and excellence.

In November 2021, St Andrew’s welcomed Dr Tamara Page to a new position, in partnership with the University of Adelaide. As Associate Professor of Nursing, Innovations in Quality and Safety, Dr Page splits her time between research and teaching at the university, and supporting St Andrew’s in delivering the highest quality nursing care.

Dr Page spent almost 30 years in clinical practice at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, including as Nursing Quality Manager, and completed her PhD specialising in wound care. She has taught Bachelor and Post Graduate nursing students since 2012.

At St Andrew’s, Dr Page is particularly interested in supporting our nursing staff in their own professional enquiry. For example, she explains, there was a project that she helped bring to fruition after COVID delays, examining thermoregulation and the use of blood during urology surgery.

“Anecdotally, there appeared to be increased blood usage on patients undergoing urology surgery,” says Dr Page. “When data was collected, it seemed we were looking at people who were hypothermic. So how can we keep them warm so ultimately, they might not need a blood transfusion?”

Dr Page is also ensuring our research results are made available to the whole profession. In this case, a report has been submitted for publication, and a presentation submitted for the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, Melbourne in November 2023. says, “one of the nursing orientation sessions at St Andrew’s is taking you on a patient journey, showing how safety and quality standards are met each step of the way. I’ve incorporated that into a workshop with the students.”

For our Foundation Wellbeing Centre at 337 South Terrace (see story on page 5), Dr Page will be surveying patients diagnosed with breast cancer, to understand which services and resources can be most useful. She has applied to the Cancer Australia Supporting People With Cancer Grant Initiative, and will guide the development of the Wellbeing Centre timetable.

Dr Page is also working with Stomal Therapy Nurse Fiona Bolton (see story on page 11), who has been researching nurse knowledge and education about parastomal hernia (PSH). In development is a risk assessment tool that can be used throughout the field.

St Andrew’s is a very supportive environment for nurses who wish to further their studies. Dr Page’s expertise and academic connections are providing extra support. “If someone needs to find up-to-date literature, I can access that for them,” she explains. “Or help with the best way to run a search to find information.” And if someone has an idea to initiate research, Dr Page is the go-to. “If a nurse feels there’s an area we could be looking into, they can come to me and we’ll investigate.”

In her teaching at the University of Adelaide, Dr Page incorporates the latest clinical knowledge from our hospital to prepare her students for nursing practice. “For example,” she

St Andrew’s recognises that in order to provide the best nursing care for patients, we need to provide the best support for our exceptional nursing staff. The work of Dr Tamara Page brings an exciting new phase to nursing progress and recognition at our hospital.