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Sherry Espin

Associate Professor
DepartmentDaphne Cockwell School of Nursing
EducationRN, BScN, MEd, PhD
OfficeDCC-579A, Daphne Cockwell Health Sciences Complex
Phone416-979-5000, ext. 557993
Areas of ExpertiseQualitative research; Patient safety; Incident reporting and disclosure; Perioperative nursing; Teamwork and communication; Interprofessional collaboration and education.

My current program of research seeks to theorize how professionals on the health care team interact with one another in the context of perceived errors of care, in settings such as rehabilitation and chronic care, the intensive care unit, the operating room and the medical inpatient ward.  I have worked on a research program examining interprofessional communication on health care teams in the context of the operating room and intensive care unit. This research has informed the development of patient safety initiatives like the surgical safety checklist. Further, I have explored processes and outcomes related to interprofessional education and collaboration.

I am an associate professor in the school and have held several positions in perioperative clinical practice and education. I hold cross appointments with the School of Graduate Studies and am an affiliated scholar with the Wilson Centre for Health Professions Education and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute. I currently teach in the graduate and post diploma programs, with an interest in qualitative research, seminar and practice courses. I also act as a faculty advisor to graduate students and am involved in graduate student thesis supervision.

  • MN8902: Qualitative Research Methods: Design and Critical Appraisal
  • MN8904: Seminar in Professional Nursing Advancement
  • MN8905: Practicum in Professional Nursing Advancement
  • NCL700/NCL800: Nursing Practice 1 and 2

Research Interests:

  • Teamwork and communication
  • Surgical team tools
  • Perioperative nursing
  • Patient safety
  • Qualitative research

Research Projects:

  • Teamwork and Communication in Surgical Care: Synthesis of the Literature
  • Improving Implementation: Exploring Surgical Culture and the Uptake of the Safe Surgery Checklist
  • Exploring team handover: development of an Operating Room (OR)-Post Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) team briefing tool

Books:

  • Reeves S, Lewin S, Espin S, Zwarenstein M. Interprofessional Teamwork in Health and Social Care . Wiley-Blackwell. 2010.

Journal Articles:

  • Gross M, Grant R, Espin S, LeGrow K, Freeman Z. AORN Surgical Conference & Expo 2016 Speaker Interviews. The Surgical Journey: OR-PACU Handover. AORN Journal. 2016 Feb      
    103(2), 149-150.
  • Gucciardi E, Espin S, Morganti A, Dorado L. Exploring Interprofessional Collaboration during the Integration of Diabetes Teams into Primary Care. BMC Family Practice 2016 Feb 1;17(1):12. 
  • Koller, D, Rummens, A., Le Pouesard, M., Espin, S., Friedman, J., Coffey, M., & Kenneally, N. Patient Disclosure of Adverse Events in Paediatrics: A Systematic Literature Review. Paediatrics and Child Health (accepted October 19, 2015) (in press, 2015). 
  • Guay J, Espin S, Bishop S. New Graduate Registered Nurses Perceptions of Transitioning to Professional Practice after Completion of the NGG Orientation. Journal of Nursing Education. 2016 Jan 1;47(1):37-44
  • Gucciardi E, Espin S, Morganti A, Dorado L. Implementing Specialized Diabetes Teams in Primary Care in Southern Ontario. Canadian Journal of Diabetes. 2015 Dec; 39(6):467-77. 
  • Espin S, Carter C, Janes N, McAllister M. Exploring Health Care Professionals’ Perceptions of Incidents and Incident Reporting in Rehabilitation Settings. Journal of Patient Safety. 2015 June 12. 
  • Mui C, Martimianakis M, Espin S, Robinson L, Lorello G, Everett T, Murnaghan L, Moulton C
    'Being Cordial' and 'Being Competent': Interplay of Theatrical Masks in the Operating Room. Medical Education. 2014 May; 48 Supplement 1:74-75.
  • Espin S, Mielke D. Fourth Year Nursing Students' Perceptions of Incidents and Incident Reporting. Journal of Nursing Education. 2014 April; 53(4):238-43.
  • Rogers DA, Lingard L, Boehler ML, Espin S, Mellinger JD, Schindler N, Klingensmith M. Foundations for Teaching Surgeons to Address the Contributions of Systems to Operating Room Team Conflict. American Journal Surgery. 2013 Sep; 206(3):428-32.
  • Fortugno M, Smriti C, Espin S, Gucciard E. Fostering successful interprofessional teamwork through an undergraduate student placement in a secondary school. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 2013 July; 27(4):326-32.
  • Jeffs L, Sidani S, Rose D, Espin S, Smith O, Martin K, Byer C, Fu K, Ferris E. Using theory and evidence to drive measurement of patient, nurse and organizational outcomes of professional nursing practice. International Journal of Nursing Practice 2013 April; 19(2): 141-148.
  • Thistlethwaite J, Khalili H, Grymonpre R, Atack L, Gilbert J, Espin S, Donelly C, Iglarsh A, Green C, Riva J, Hean S, Namavarian A. Introducing the Global Research Interprofessional Network (GRIN). Journal of Interprofessional Care. 2013 Mar; 27(2):107-9.
  • Rogers DA, Lingard L, Boehler ML, Espin S, Mellinger JD, Schindler N, Klingensmith M. Surgeons managing conflict in the operating room: defining the educational need and identifying effective behaviors. American Journal Surgery. 2013 Feb; 205(2):125-30
  • Gucciardi E, Fortugno M,  Horodezny S, Lou W, Sidani S, Espin S, Webster F,  Shah B. Will Mobile Diabetes Education Teams (MDETs) in primary care improve patient care processes and health outcomes? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2012 September, 13:165. 
  • Meffe F,  Moravac C, Espin S. An interprofessional education pilot program in maternity care: Findings from an exploratory case study of undergraduate students. Journal of Interprofessional Care. 2012 May. 26(3): 183-8.
  • Rogers D, Lingard L, Klingensmith M, Schindler N, Espin S, Mellinger M,  Boehler J. Teaching Operating Room Conflict Management to Surgeons: Clarifying the Optimal Approach. Medical Education. 2011 September. 45(9). 939-945. 
  • Jeffs L, Espin S, Shannon SE, Levinson W, Lingard L.  Not Overstepping Professional Boundaries -The Challenging Role of Nurses in Simulated Error Disclosures. Journal of Nursing Care  Quality.  Fall 2011 26(4): 320-7.
  • Lingard L, Regehr G, Cartmill C, Orser B, Espin S, Bohnen J, Reznick R, Baker R, Rotstein L, Doran D.  Evaluation of a preoperative team briefing: a new communication routine results in improved clinical practice. BMJ Quality & Safety. 2011 June 20(6). 475-82.
  • Abramovich I, Espin S, Wickson-Griffiths A, Dematteo D, Baker L, Egan-Lee E, Reeves S Translating collaborative knowledge into practice: findings from a 6-month follow-up study.
    Journal of Interprofessional Care. 2011 May;25(3):226-7.
  • Jeffs L, Espin S, Shannon SE, Levinson W, Kohn MK, Lingard L. A new way of relating perceptions associated with a team-based error disclosure simulation intervention.
    Quality Safety in Health Care. 2010 Oct;19 Suppl 3:i57-60.
  • Espin S, Wickson A, Wilson M., Lingard L. Report or not report: exploring ICU nurses perceptions of error and error reporting. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing. February 2010, 26(1): 1-9.