The Edge Runner initiative recognizes nurse-designed models of care and interventions that impact cost, improve healthcare quality and enhance consumer satisfaction. Through its Edge Runner program, The American Academy of Nurses is mobilizing its fellows, health leaders and partner organizations to recognize nurses who are leading the way with new ideas to transform the health system.
The American Academy of Nurses has recognized four nurse practitioners from the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program for their innovations in patient care. Specifically, the academy cited the nurses’ holistic approach toward caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. This approach incorporates both patients’ and caregivers’ physical and mental health, allowing them to “navigate the diagnosis, progression, and prognosis of Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” according to a statement from the academy.