About
Barbara (Barb) King, PhD, APRN-BC, FAAN, Charlotte Jane and Ralph A. Rodefer Chair, is a professor in the UW-Madison School of Nursing. Her program of research aims to improve outcomes for hospitalized older adults.
Dr. King is currently conducting an R01 AHRQ-funded study using a cluster randomized controlled trial design to test the effectiveness of Mobilizing Older adults Via a systems-based INtervention (MOVIN). Dr. King, along with her colleague Dr. Linsey Steege, created MOVIN to address barriers nursing staff experience that prevent them from getting adult patients up to walk during a hospital stay. Older adults, in particular, experience significant negative functional outcomes during hospitalization due to lack of ambulation.
As an expert in qualitative methodology, using Grounded Theory, Dr. King has also conducted numerous studies investigating nurse decision-making to mobilize patients, the impact of hospital-based fall prevention strategies on nursing practice, and ambulation recovery in older adults post-discharge.