Research interests
Research focuses on decision support and communication with applied research to enhance the safety and quality of health care. Areas of interest include the process of communication between nurses and patients in clinical contexts such as bedside nursing handover and in acute medical/surgical ward settings. She has also led projects in which evidence based practice and decision support tools have been developed and validated in the clinical context, particularly in the emergency setting for cardiac conditions. An area of specific focus, intranasal medical administration, has been explored as a novel and safe mode of drug delivery for naloxone and fentanyl.
Methodological approaches have predominantly focused on quantitative methods including randomised controlled trials, feasibility studies, audits and surveys. She has published over 67 peer reviewed articles and presented at international and national medical and nursing conferences. It is her aim to direct future research on the Australian National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, in particular, the impact of communication skills training for enhancing quality and safe nursing care.
Affiliations
- Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research (QPS) (Deakin University)
- Centre for Organisational Change in Person-Centred Healthcare (OCPH) (Deakin University)
Teaching interests
Supervision of Honours, Masters and Doctor of Philosophy students.
Debra’s teaching expertise is focused on appraisal, understanding and use of evidence, and ethical considerations relating to research.
Knowledge areas
Debra has extensive experience in investigating quality and safety in patient care, with a specific focus on quality audit and nursing care delivery in acute care settings. She has expertise in intranasal medication delivery for acute opioid overdose related to PhD research and ongoing work at the Sydney Medically Supervised Injecting Clinic.
Professional activities
Inaugural and Current President for Psi Zeta at-Large Chapter of Sigma.
Projects
- Principal author: Systematic review of effectiveness of skills training to enhance communication between nurses and patients.
- Principal author: Development of a dignity tool for older people hospitalised in acute care settings.
Publications
T Peart, D Kerr, A Searby
(2023), Vol. 32, pp. 458-468, International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, London, Eng., C1
A Fuseini, B Redley, H Rawson, L Ley, D Kerr
(2023), Journal of Clinical Nursing, England, C1
M Hayes, A Hutchinson, D Kerr
(2023), pp. 1-6, Australasian Emergency Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
M Amin, D Kerr, Y Atiase, M Samir, A Driscoll
(2023), Vol. 20, pp. 1-12, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Basel, Switzerland, C1
M Amin, D Kerr, Y Atiase, R Aldwikat, A Driscoll
(2023), Vol. 11, pp. 1-11, Sports, Basel, Switzerland, C1
A Fuseini, M Mohebbi, B Redley, H Rawson, L Ley, D Kerr
(2023), pp. 1-16, Journal of Advanced Nursing, London, Eng., C1
M Amin, D Kerr, Y Atiase, Y Yakub, A Driscoll
(2023), Vol. 11, pp. 1-13, Sports, Basel, Switzerland, C1
S Milnes, D Kerr, A Hutchinson, N Simpson, Y Mantzaridis, C Corke, M Bailey, N Orford
(2023), Vol. 25, pp. 20-26, Critical Care and Resuscitation, C1
M Le Grande, B Murphy, D Kerr, A Beauchamp, A Driscoll, A Jackson
(2023), pp. 1-14, Journal of Advanced Nursing, London, Eng., C1
Nurses' work experiences in hospital wards with single rooms: An integrative review
Susanne Søndergaard, Bodil Rasmussen, Debra Kerr, Kirsten Frederiksen, Bernice Redley, Melody Trueman, Raymond Kolbaek, Henrik Laursen, Melissa Bloomer
(2023), pp. 1-14, Journal of Clinical Nursing, London, Eng., C1
Abdul‐Ganiyu Fuseini, Helen Rawson, Bernice Redley, Lenore Ley, Mohammadreza Mohebbi, Debra Kerr
(2023), pp. 1-11, Journal of Clinical Nursing, London, Eng., C1
Mohammed Amin, Debra Kerr, Yacoba Atiase, Yusif Yakub, Andrea Driscoll
(2023), Vol. 8, pp. 1-11, Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, Basel, Switzerland, C1
D Kerr, S Milnes, P Martin, J Ammentorp, M Wolderslund, M Chiswell
(2022), Vol. 105, pp. 2285-2291, Patient Education and Counseling, Ireland, C1
Bodil Rasmussen, alison Hutchinson, grainne Lowe, karen Wynter, bernice Redley, Sara Holton, elizabeth Manias, nikki Phillips, Jo Mcdonall, lauren McTier, debra Kerr
(2022), Vol. 58, pp. 1-9, Nurse Education in Practice, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
Nurse leader agency: Creating an environment conducive to support for graduate nurses
A Sahay, E Willis, D Kerr, B Rasmussen
(2022), Vol. 30, pp. 643-650, Journal of Nursing Management, London, Eng., C1
Communication skills training for nurses: Is it time for a standardised nursing model?
Debra Kerr, Peter Martin, Lynn Furber, Sandra Winterburn, Sharyn Milnes, Annegrethe Nielsen, Patricia Strachan
(2022), pp. 1-6, Patient Education and Counseling, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
A Fuseini, H Rawson, L Ley, D Kerr
(2022), pp. 1-17, Journal of Clinical Nursing, London, Eng., C1
A systematic review of patient-reported dignity and dignified care during acute hospital admission
A Fuseini, L Ley, H Rawson, B Redley, D Kerr
(2022), Vol. 78, pp. 3540-3558, Journal of Advanced Nursing, England, C1
Feasibility of pilates for pregnant women: A randomised trial
M Mazzarino, D Kerr, M Morris
(2022), Vol. 32, pp. 207-212, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, United States, C1
Pilates for low risk pregnant women: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
M Mazzarino, M Morris, D Kerr
(2021), Vol. 25, pp. 240-247, Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, United States, C1
D Kerr, M Hegg, M Mohebbi
(2021), Vol. 56, pp. 305-312, Nursing Forum, United States, C1
N Asturias, S Andrew, G Boardman, D Kerr
(2021), Vol. 99, Nurse Education Today, Scotland, C1
M Le Grande, A Jackson, A Beauchamp, D Kerr, A Driscoll
(2021), Vol. 86, pp. 135-160, Sleep Medicine, Netherlands, C1
S Milnes, Y Mantzaridis, N Simpson, T Dunning, D Kerr, J Ostaszkiewicz, G Keely, C Corke, N Orford
(2021), Vol. 23, pp. 76-85, Critical Care and Resuscitation, C1
K Wynter, B Redley, S Holton, E Manias, J McDonall, L McTier, A Hutchinson, D Kerr, G Lowe, N Phillips, B Rasmussen
(2021), Vol. 18, pp. 1-11, International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, Berlin, Germany, C1
D Kerr, S Milnes, J Ammentorp, C McKie, T Dunning, J Ostaszkiewicz, M Wolderslund, P Martin
(2020), Vol. 29, pp. 416-428, Journal of Clinical Nursing, London, Eng., C1
D Kerr, J Ratcliff, L Tabb, R Walter
(2020), Vol. 42, Nurse Education in Practice, Scotland, C1
The effectiveness of training interventions on nurses' communication skills: A systematic review
D Kerr, J Ostaszkiewicz, T Dunning, P Martin
(2020), Vol. 89, Nurse Education Today, Scotland, C1
D Kerr, R Crone, T Dunning
(2020), Vol. 29, pp. 4116-4127, Journal of Clinical Nursing, Chichester, Eng., C1
Effect of Intranasal vs Intramuscular Naloxone on Opioid Overdose: A Randomized Clinical Trial
P Dietze, M Jauncey, A Salmon, M Mohebbi, J Latimer, I Van Beek, C McGrath, D Kerr
(2019), Vol. 2, JAMA Network Open, United States, C1
Pilates program design and health benefits for pregnant women: a practitioners' survey
M Mazzarino, D Kerr, M Morris
(2018), Vol. 22, pp. 411-417, Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1
D Kerr, T McCann, E Mackey, T Wijeratne
(2018), Vol. 24, International Journal of Nursing Practice, Australia, C1-1
D Kerr, S Klim, A Kelly, T Mccann
(2016), Vol. 22, pp. 89-97, International Journal of Nursing Practice, Australia, C1-1
Pilates method for women's health: systematic review of randomized controlled trials
M Mazzarino, D Kerr, H Wajswelner, M Morris
(2015), Vol. 96, pp. 2231-2242, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
D Kerr, D Taylor, B Evans
(2015), Vol. 24, pp. 117-123, International journal of obstetric anesthesia, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
G Boardman, D Kerr, T McCann
(2015), Vol. 22, pp. 423-430, Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
G Boardman, T McCann, D Kerr
(2014), Vol. 70, pp. 2293-2302, Journal of advanced nursing, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
D Kerr, S Lu, L McKinlay
(2014), Vol. 20, pp. 250-257, International journal of nursing practice, Milton, Qld., C1-1
Bedside nursing handover: patients' opinions
S Lu, D Kerr, L McKinlay
(2014), Vol. 20, pp. 451-459, International journal of nursing practice, Milton, Qld., C1-1
Attitudes of emergency department patients about handover at the bedside
D Kerr, K McKay, S Klim, A-M Kelly, T McCann
(2014), Vol. 23, pp. 1685-1693, Journal of clinical nursing, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
Bedside handover enhances completion of nursing care and documentation
D Kerr, S Lu, L McKinlay
(2013), Vol. 28, pp. 217-225, Journal of nursing care quality, Philadelphia, Pa., C1-1
L Lau, D Kerr, I Law, P Ritchie
(2013), Vol. 16, pp. 110-115, Australasian emergency nursing journal, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
S Klim, A-M Kelly, D Kerr, S Wood, T McCann
(2013), Vol. 22, pp. 2233-2243, Journal of clinical nursing, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
D Kerr, S Lu, D Mill, L McKinlay
(2012), Vol. 47, pp. 203-209, Nursing forum, Hoboken, N.J., C1-1
M Richardson-Tench, J Rabach, D Kerr, W Adams, S Brown
(2012), Vol. 17, pp. 74-78, Ambulatory surgery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Examination of current handover practice: evidence to support changing the ritual
D Kerr, S Lu, L McKinlay, C Fuller
(2011), Vol. 17, pp. 342-350, International journal of nursing practice, Milton, Qld., C1-1
S Hamid, F Bainbridge, A-M Kelly, D Kerr
(2010), Vol. 28, pp. 494-498, American journal of emergency medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
H Lee, D Kerr, D O'H Ici, A-M Kelly
(2010), Vol. 27, pp. 302-304, Emergency medicine journal, London, Eng., C1-1
A-M Kelly, M Clooney, D Kerr, P Ebeling
(2010), Vol. 40, pp. 527-530, Internal medicine journal, Milton, Qld., C1-1
H Nguyen, D Kerr, A-M Kelly
(2010), Vol. 17, pp. 346-348, European journal of emergency medicine, Philadelphia, Pa., C1-1
D Kerr, A-M Kelly, P Dietze, D Jolley, B Barger
(2009), Vol. 104, pp. 2067-2074, Addiction, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
Prevalence of access block in Australia 2004-2008
D Richardson, A-M Kelly, D Kerr
(2009), Vol. 21, pp. 472-478, Emergency medicine Australasia, Milton, Qld., C1-1
Does emergency department workload adversely influence timely analgesia?
R Mitchell, A-M Kelly, D Kerr
(2009), Vol. 21, pp. 52-58, Emergency medicine Australasia, Milton, Qld., C1-1
Improved response by peers after witnessed heroin overdose in Melbourne
D Kerr, P Dietze, A-M Kelly, D Jolley
(2009), Vol. 28, pp. 327-330, Drug and alcohol review, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
Are patients on warfarin with high INR treated according to published guidelines?
L Le-Kim, D Kerr, A Kelly
(2009), Vol. 5, pp. 1-8, Internet journal of hematology, Sugar Land, Tex., C1-1
Outcomes of emergency department patients treated for primary spontaneous pneumothorax
A-M Kelly, D Kerr, M Clooney
(2008), Vol. 134, pp. 1033-1036, Chest, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Intranasal naloxone for the treatment of suspected heroin overdose
D Kerr, P Dietze, A-M Kelly
(2008), Vol. 103, pp. 379-386, Addiction, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
Impact of patient and environmental factors on capillary refill time in adults
B Anderson, A-M Kelly, D Kerr, M Clooney, D Jolley
(2008), Vol. 26, pp. 62-65, American journal of emergency medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
A-M Kelly, D Kerr, M Clooney
(2008), Vol. 25, pp. 26-29, Emergency medicine journal, London, Eng., C1-1
D Kerr, P Dietze, A-M Kelly, D Jolley
(2008), Vol. 85, pp. 352-360, Journal of urban health, New York, N.Y., C1-1
Capillary refill time in adults has poor inter-observer agreement
B Anderson, A Kelly, D Kerr, D Jolley
(2008), Vol. 15, pp. 71-74, Hong Kong journal of emergency medicine, Hong Kong, C1-1
A-M Kelly, M Clooney, D Kerr, P Ebeling
(2008), Vol. 188, pp. 389-391, Medical journal of Australia, Newton, N.S.W., C1-1
D Krieser, K Nguyen, D Kerr, D Jolley, M Clooney, A-M Kelly
(2007), Vol. 24, pp. 756-759, Emergency Medicine Journal, London, Eng., C1-1
External validation of the Best Guess formulae for paediatric weight estimation
A-M Kelly, D Kerr, M Clooney, D Krieser, K Nguyen
(2007), Vol. 19, pp. 543-546, Emergency Medicine Australasia, Richmond, Vic., C1-1
A Lin, D Kerr, A-M Kelly
(2007), Vol. 19, pp. 229-233, Emergency Medicine Australasia, Richmond, Vic., C1-1
K Nguyen, D Krieser, D Kerr, D Jolley, M Clooney, A-M Kelly
(2007), Vol. 14, pp. 486-488, Academic Emergency Medicine, United States, C1-1
Predictors of ambulance use in patients with acute myocardial infarction in Australia
D Kerr, D Holden, J Smith, A-M Kelly, S Bunker
(2006), Vol. 23, pp. 948-952, Emergency medicine journal, London, Eng., C1-1
C Elder, D Kerr, R Davey, A-M Kelly
(2006), Vol. 23, pp. 23-26, Emergency medicine journal, London, Eng., C1-1
One-handed versus two-handed chest compressions in paediatric cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
E Peska, A-M Kelly, D Kerr, D Green
(2006), Vol. 71, pp. 65-69, Resuscitation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Head computed tomography guidelines are being followed
T Brettig, M Clooney, A-M Kelly, D Kerr
(2006), Vol. 18, pp. 238-244, Emergency medicine Australasia, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
M Putland, D Kerr, A-M Kelly
(2006), Vol. 47, pp. 559-563, Annals of emergency medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
D Kerr, L Bradshaw, A-M Kelly
(2005), Vol. 28, pp. 127-131, Journal of emergency medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
The quality of medical record review studies in the international emergency medicine literature
D Badcock, A-M Kelly, D Kerr, T Reade
(2005), Vol. 45, pp. 444-447, Annals of emergency medicine, Philadelphia, Pa., C1-1
A-M Kelly, D Kerr, P Dietze, I Patrick, T Walker, Z Koutsogiannis
(2005), Vol. 182, pp. 24-27, Medical journal of Australia, Sydney, N.S.W., C1-1
Asthma in emergency departments: combined adult and paediatric versus paediatric only centres
C Powell, J Raftos, D Kerr, P Rosengarten, A Kelly
(2004), Vol. 40, pp. 433-437, Journal of paediatrics and child health, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
A-M Kelly, D Kerr
(2004), Vol. 34, pp. 594-597, Internal medicine journal, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
A-M Kelly, D Kerr, C Powell
(2004), Vol. 98, pp. 777-781, Respiratory medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
Potential impact of interventions to reduce times to thrombolysis
S Goodacre, A-M Kelly, D Kerr
(2004), Vol. 21, pp. 625-629, Emergency medicine journal, London, Eng., C1-1
Can nurses apply the Canadian C-Spine Rule? A pilot study
A Kelly, L Bradshaw, D Kerr
(2004), Vol. 6, pp. 161-164, Canadian journal of emergency medicine, Cambridge, Eng., C1-1
Clinical nursing research: nurses' attitudes and activity
D Kerr, I Woodruff, A Kelly
(2004), Vol. 11, pp. 17-21, Collegian, C1
A-M Kelly, C Powell, D Kerr
(2003), Vol. 33, pp. 406-413, Internal medicine journal, Richmond, Vic., C1-1
Call-to-needle times for thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction in Victoria
A-M Kelly, D Kerr, I Patrick, T Walker
(2003), Vol. 178, pp. 381-385, Medical journal of Australia, Sydney, N.S.W., C1-1
A Kelly, D Kerr, I Patrick, T Walker
(2002), Vol. 32, pp. 138-142, Internal medicine journal, Chichester, Eng., C1-1
It is safe to manage selected patients with acute coronary syndromes in unmonitored beds
A Kelly, D Kerr
(2001), Vol. 21, pp. 227-233, Journal of ermergency medicine, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, C1-1
A Kelly, D Kerr, R Hew
(2001), Vol. 24, pp. 61-65, Australian health review, Clayton, Vic., C1-1
Funded Projects at Deakin
Industry and Other Funding
Defining and measuring dignity for hospitalised older people
A/Prof Debra Kerr, Dr Rosie Crone, Prof Trisha Dunning, Dr Joan Ostaszkiewicz
Health Issues Centre
- 2021: $1,212
- 2019: $5,290
Nurturing Registered Undergraduate Students of Nursing and Mifwifery to Optimise Their Experience in Practice Settings.
Prof Alison Hutchinson, Prof Linda Sweet, A/Prof Debra Kerr, Prof Nikki Phillips
The Nurses Board of Victoria Legacy Ltd (the Trustee of the Trust)
- 2023: $30,000
Supervisions
Ashlyn Sahay
Thesis entitled: The Impact of Nurse-to-Nurse Interactions on Patient Safety Outcomes: A Qualitative Study of Australian Graduate Nurses and Nurse Leaders
Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing), School of Nursing & Midwifery