Ruth Paterson
Ruth Paterson

Ruth Paterson

Associate Professor

Biography

Ruth registered with the NMC as an adult nurse in 1992, lecturer in 2007 and non-medical prescriber in 2010. She completed a Master of Philosophy in Law and Ethics in Medicine at the University of Glasgow in 2000. She completed her PhD in 2018 which was a mixed methods study that developed and tested a theoretical model to predict medicines adherence in people with intellectual disabilities and diabetes.

Her clinical background is critical care, coronary care and acute medicine and has worked in the UK and USA. Whilst working as a senior nurse in Scotland she developed, implemented and evaluated an early warning scoring system to assist with recognition of the acutely ill patient. This led to the development of NEWS and national roll out of the instrument. During this time she also led the development of advanced clinical skills aiming to reduce waiting times in unscheduled care.

Since entering academia first on a part time basis alongside a clinical role, and full time since 2015, she has developed expertise and national recognition leading non-medical prescribing programmes and, more recently, advanced practice, pharmacology and medicines optimisation.

She has led advanced practice and prescribing programmes to successful reapproval receiving commendations for her links with with professional practice and clinically focussed assessment . During 2019/20 Nursing and Midwifery Council reapproval events she was appointed as external expert panelist at events in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

She is currently Head of the Nursing Subject group in the School of Health and Social Care. As one of the largest pre-registration nursing programmes in the UK and a large portfolio of international and post graduate programmes this is a highly challenging and rewarding role. Prior to this she Head of Learning and Teaching in the School of Health and Social Care, chair of the Scottish Non-medical Prescribing Network and the university representative on the Scottish Non-medical Prescribing strategic leads group. In 2018 she was invited to be subject matter expert during the development of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards on pre-registration nursing and prescribing. In 2019 she was appointed as accountable officer for pharmacology and prescribing preparedness at the future nurse board hosted by NHS Education for Scotland.


Her international work includes Saltire scholarships and Erasmus Mundus programme leadership, both of which provide nursing students and postgraduate students, who otherwise would not have the opportunity to travel, gain social, cultural and academic experience outwith their own country.

She has completed a number of externally funded research projects. One evaluated the national multi-method assessment in non-medical prescribing and informed the future delivery of the programme. Another evaluated the impact of inter professional education (medical students, pharmacy and non-medical prescribing students) on self-efficacy and readiness for inter-professional learning . She has received funding for innovative approaches to learning including development of an interactive Virtual Reality simulation on recognition of the deteriorating patient, which has been adapted for use during the COVID-19 pandemic. These externally funded grants, research and publications have had a positive impact on education and student support in practice locally, nationally and internationally.

Building on her expertise in pharmacology, adherence and prescribing she is working on a project in collaboration with Scottish Government and University of Lyon to develop, test and implement a real time adherence monitoring tool for community practice. She is a member of the PARADIGMS policy and Research Group at Scottish Goverment and is supervising 2 PhD students who are investigating the impact of a medicines data visualisation tool on medicines adherence in people living with polypharmacy. She currently also supervising post graduate research students in Electronic Prescribing, pre-registration prescribing readiness and adherence research.

Esteem

Advisory panels and expert committees or witness

  • Advanced Practice Academy, South East Scotland
  • Expert Panelist, Prescribing: University of Dundee and Nursing and Midwifery Council, London, England
  • Polypharmacy, Scottish Government, NHS Scotland
  • NHS Scotland
  • Department of Health, London, England
  • Royal College of Physicians, London, England
  • Working Party, Quality Improvement Scotland

 

Conference Organising Activity

  • The frequency and factors associated with medicines adherence in people with intellectual diabilities and diabetes
  • Society of Acute Medicine, London, England
  • Member of organising committee – National Non-medical prescribing conference – Scottish Government May 2016

 

Editorial Activity

  • Editorial Board Member, Journal of Prescribing Practiceg

 

External Examining/Validations

  • Expert Panelist: University of Dundee, Independent and Supplementary Prescribing, Institutional and Nursing and Midwifery Council approval
  • External Examiner, independent and supplementary prescribing, University College Cork
  • Specialist Expert, Validation panel, Dundee University
  • External Examiner, University of Huddersfield
  • External Examiner, University of Stirling
  • External reviewer, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland
  • External reviewer, University of Southampton, England

 

Fellowships and Awards

  • DHI scholarship; Scholarship awarded from DHI to fund research in electronic prescribing in critical care
  • Winner Above and Beyond Awards: Best team: undergraduate module
  • Santander Scholarship, University of West Florida and Robert Morris University, USA
  • Saltire Scholarship, University of West Florida, USA
  • Prize for Best Poster. Swallow Screening. National Stroke Forum, Harrogate

 

Invited Speaker

  • Medicines Adherence in People with Mild to Moderate Intellectual Disabilities
  • Euroheart Care, Trinity College, Dublin
  • Oral presentation, International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, (IASSIDD) accepted (Melbourne, Australia)
  • Presentation to board at Robert Morris University, USA
  • Invited speaker: for Lothian non-medical prescribing conference Continuing professional development prescribing and revalidation
  • Oral presentation - Non-medical prescribing – a qualitative evaluation of a nationally agreed multi method approach. NET 2014 – Conference for healthcare education
  • Oral presentation - Inter professional competency assessment – The experiences of nurses and designated medical practitioners (DMP) on the non-medical prescribing programme.NET 2014 – Conference for healthcare education
  • Invited speaker – Medicines adherence in Hepatitis C. ABBVIE Nurses forum
  • Invited speaker - Meeting CPD needs of non-medical prescribers and writing for publication NMAHP National non-medical prescribing conference
  • Oral presentation – Inter-professional competency assessment – non-medical prescribingEnhancing Nursing Through Educational Research
  • Invited speaker - Lothian Non-medical Prescribing Conference Edinburgh Prescribing and Continuing Professional Development

 

Membership of Professional Body

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Nursing and Midwifery Council (Adult nursing, lecturer and V300 prescriber)

 

Visiting Positions

  • Honorary Research Consultant, Department of theatre, critical care and anaesthetics, NHS Lothian.
  • Visiting Lecturer, Edinburgh University Medical School to foster inter-professional learning and prescribing practice.

 

Date


37 results

Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and associated factors in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal Article
Gebreheat, G., Paterson, R., Mulugeta, H., & Teame, H. (2022)
Adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures and associated factors in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 17(10), Article e0275320. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0275320
Background: Reluctance to the COVID-19 preventive measures have been repeatedly reported in Ethiopia although compliance with these actions is the key step to minimize the pan...

Effectiveness of Digital Simulation on Student Nurses’ Knowledge and Confidence:An Integrative Literature Review

Journal Article
Gebreheat, G., Whitehorn, L. J., & Paterson, R. E. (2022)
Effectiveness of Digital Simulation on Student Nurses’ Knowledge and Confidence:An Integrative Literature Review. Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 2022(13), 765-775. https://doi.org/10.2147/amep.s366495
Digital simulation is an emerging innovation with the potential to address the limitations to traditional clinical simulation. The pandemic has accelerated teaching on digital...

Exploring the benefits of structured medication reviews for frail older patients in advanced clinical practice

Journal Article
Duffy, S., & Paterson, R. (2021)
Exploring the benefits of structured medication reviews for frail older patients in advanced clinical practice. British Journal of Nursing, 30(15), 894-898. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2021.30.15.894
Frailty in old age has become synonymous with medication use. As people age, the risk of disease burden increases. Older age is often linked with complex healthcare needs, wit...

A mixed-methods feasibility study to assess the acceptability and applicability of immersive virtual reality sepsis game as an adjunct to nursing education

Journal Article
Adhikari, R., Kydonaki, C., Lawrie, J., O'Reilly, M., Ballantyne, B., Whitehorn, J., & Paterson, R. (2021)
A mixed-methods feasibility study to assess the acceptability and applicability of immersive virtual reality sepsis game as an adjunct to nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 103, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104944
Abstract Background: Virtual Reality (VR) simulation has been a topic of interest in recent years as an innovative strategy for healthcare education. Although there are a hand...

Characteristics of diabetes medication‐taking in people with mild to moderate intellectual disability compared to those without: a mixed‐methods study

Journal Article
Paterson, R., Taggart, L., Hoyle, L., & Brown, M. (2020)
Characteristics of diabetes medication‐taking in people with mild to moderate intellectual disability compared to those without: a mixed‐methods study. Diabetic Medicine, 37(12), 2035-2043. https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.14365
Aim To compare the frequency and factors associated with diabetes medication‐taking (depression, perceived side effects, self‐efficacy and social support) in people with mild ...

Prescribing to manage obesity

Journal Article
Paterson, R. (2020)
Prescribing to manage obesity. Journal of Prescribing Practice, 2(7), 376-377. https://doi.org/10.12968/jprp.2020.2.7.376
This month's roundup will focus on the latest evidence on management of obesity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) obesity prevalence has tripled since 1975 and...

Long-term effects of COVID-19: impact on prescribing practice

Journal Article
Paterson, R. (2020)
Long-term effects of COVID-19: impact on prescribing practice. Journal of Prescribing Practice, 2(6), 274-275. https://doi.org/10.12968/jprp.2020.2.6.274
Ruth Paterson provides an overview of recently published articles that may be of interest to non-medical prescribers. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more deta...

COVID-19: Emerging guidance and treatment

Journal Article
Paterson, R. (2020)
COVID-19: Emerging guidance and treatment. Journal of Prescribing Practice, 2(5), 220-221. https://doi.org/10.12968/jprp.2020.2.5.220
Ruth Paterson provides an overview of recently published articles that may be of interest to non-medical prescribers. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more deta...

Research roundup - COVID-19: Characteristics and management in practice

Journal Article
Paterson, R. (2020)
Research roundup - COVID-19: Characteristics and management in practice. Journal of Prescribing Practice, 2(4), 170-171. https://doi.org/10.12968/jprp.2020.2.4.170
Ruth Paterson provides an overview of recently published articles that may be of interest to non-medical prescribers. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more deta...

Prescribing in emergency care

Journal Article
Paterson, R. (2020)
Prescribing in emergency care. Journal of Prescribing Practice, 2(3), 116-117. https://doi.org/10.12968/jprp.2020.2.3.116
Ruth Paterson provides an overview of recently published articles that may be of interest to non-medical prescribers. Should you wish to look at any of the papers in more deta...

Current Post Grad projects

Previous Post Grad projects

Non-Napier PhD or MSc by Research supervisions

  • MSc external supervision, University of Edinburgh; Hitting the “sweet spot”. A quasi-experimental study of an inter-professional prescribing masterclass featuring undergraduate medical students and non-medical graduate prescribing students.
  • MSc by research dissertation supervision , Continuing Professional Development needs for opioid prescribersQueen Margaret University