FOURTH EDITION
EVIDENCE-BASED
GERIATRIC NURSING
PROTOCOLS
FOR BEST PRACTICE
MARIE BOLTZ
ELIZ ABETH C APEZUTI
TERRY FULMER
D E ANNE Z WICKER
EDITORS
ARDIS O’MEAR A
Managing Editor
,Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing
Protocols for Best Practice
,Marie Boltz, PhD, RN, APRN-BC, is an assistant professor at New York University (NYU) where
she has directed the undergraduate course in Nursing Care of Adults and Elders. Dr. Boltz is also
practice director of the NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) program, which is
the only national nursing program designed to improve care of the older adult patient. Her areas of
research are the geriatric care environment including measures of quality, the geriatric nurse practice
environment, and the prevention of functional decline in hospitalized older adults. She has presented
nationally and internationally and authored and coauthored numerous journal publications, organi-
zational tools, and book chapters in these areas. Dr. Boltz is a John A. �Hartford Foundation Claire
M. Fagin fellow and the 2009–2010 American Nurses Â�Credentialing Center (ANCC) Margretta
Madden Styles Credentialing scholar.
Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Dr. John W. Rowe Professor in Successful Aging at
the College of Nursing at NYU. She also serves as codirector for the Hartford Institute for Geriatric
Nursing where she directs the research center. She is an internationally recognized geriatric nurse
researcher, known for her work in improving the care of older adults by interventions and models
that positively influence a health care provider’s knowledge and work environment. Her current stud-
ies focus primarily on translating effective interventions into actual practice, specifically, testing of
new technologies for promoting independence and system change approaches to transform provider
behavior. A recipient of more than $8 million in research and training grants, she has disseminated the
findings of 35 funded projects in four coedited books and more than a hundred peer reviewed articles
and book chapters. Dr. Capezuti received her doctoral degree in nursing from the University of Penn-
sylvania in 1995. She joined the NYU faculty in 2003 and was promoted to professor in 2008. She
has also been on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing from 1984 to 2000
where she received the 1995 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. From 2000 to 2003, she
held the Independence Foundation—Wesley Woods Chair in Gerontologic Nursing at Emory Uni-
versity. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Gerontological Society of America,
the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the New York Academy of Medicine.
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at North-
eastern University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, her master’s and doc-
toral degrees from Boston College, and her Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Post-Master’s Certificate
from NYU. Dr.€Fulmer’s program of research focuses on acute care of the elderly and, specifically,
elder abuse and neglect. She has received the status of fellow in the American Academy of Nursing,
the Gerontological Society of America, and the New York Academy of Medicine. She completed
a Brookdale National Fellowship and is a distinguished practitioner of the National Academies of
Practice. Dr. Fulmer was the first nurse to be elected to the board of the American Geriatrics Society
and the first nurse to serve as the president of the Gerontological Society of America.
DeAnne Zwicker, DrNP, APRN, BC is an ANCC certified adult nurse practitioner and is currently
working as independent geriatric consultant. She completed her doctor of nursing practice (DrNP)
in 2010 with a primary focus as a clinical scientist and secondary in education at Drexel University
in Philadelphia. Her dissertation was entitled Preparedness, Appraisal of Behaviors, and Role Strain in
Dementia Family Caregivers and the Caregiver Perspective of Preparedness and was a mixed-method
study. She was a coeditor and chapter author for the fourth edition of Evidence-based Geriatric Nurs-
ing Protocols (in press) as well as the third edition (2008), and managing editor for the second edi-
tion (2003). She has served as the content editor of www.ConsultGeriRN.org since its inception.
She recently instituted the NICHE program at Washington Hospital Center, which was awarded
national NICHE designation. Ms. Zwicker has been a registered nurse for 32 years, with clinical
practice experience as a geriatric nurse practitioner since 1992 in primary care, subacute care, long-
term care, and clinical expert consultant in geriatrics. She has also taught nursing at the graduate level
at NYU and Drexel University. Her areas of interest in geriatrics include proactive interventions in
older adults, including prevention of adverse drug events and iatrogenesis in persons with dementia
and prevention and/or early recognition of delirium.
Ardis O’Meara, MA manages Geriatric Nursing, Heart and Lung: The Journal of Acute and Â�Critical
Care, and other geriatric nursing books. Her experience includes cardiology and research.
, Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing
Protocols for Best Practice
4th Edition
Marie Boltz, PhD, RN, APRN-BC
Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN, FAAN
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
DeAnne Zwicker, DrNP, APRN, BC
EDITORS
Ardis O’Meara, MA
MANAGING EDITOR
EVIDENCE-BASED
GERIATRIC NURSING
PROTOCOLS
FOR BEST PRACTICE
MARIE BOLTZ
ELIZ ABETH C APEZUTI
TERRY FULMER
D E ANNE Z WICKER
EDITORS
ARDIS O’MEAR A
Managing Editor
,Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing
Protocols for Best Practice
,Marie Boltz, PhD, RN, APRN-BC, is an assistant professor at New York University (NYU) where
she has directed the undergraduate course in Nursing Care of Adults and Elders. Dr. Boltz is also
practice director of the NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) program, which is
the only national nursing program designed to improve care of the older adult patient. Her areas of
research are the geriatric care environment including measures of quality, the geriatric nurse practice
environment, and the prevention of functional decline in hospitalized older adults. She has presented
nationally and internationally and authored and coauthored numerous journal publications, organi-
zational tools, and book chapters in these areas. Dr. Boltz is a John A. �Hartford Foundation Claire
M. Fagin fellow and the 2009–2010 American Nurses Â�Credentialing Center (ANCC) Margretta
Madden Styles Credentialing scholar.
Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Dr. John W. Rowe Professor in Successful Aging at
the College of Nursing at NYU. She also serves as codirector for the Hartford Institute for Geriatric
Nursing where she directs the research center. She is an internationally recognized geriatric nurse
researcher, known for her work in improving the care of older adults by interventions and models
that positively influence a health care provider’s knowledge and work environment. Her current stud-
ies focus primarily on translating effective interventions into actual practice, specifically, testing of
new technologies for promoting independence and system change approaches to transform provider
behavior. A recipient of more than $8 million in research and training grants, she has disseminated the
findings of 35 funded projects in four coedited books and more than a hundred peer reviewed articles
and book chapters. Dr. Capezuti received her doctoral degree in nursing from the University of Penn-
sylvania in 1995. She joined the NYU faculty in 2003 and was promoted to professor in 2008. She
has also been on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing from 1984 to 2000
where she received the 1995 Provost’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. From 2000 to 2003, she
held the Independence Foundation—Wesley Woods Chair in Gerontologic Nursing at Emory Uni-
versity. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Gerontological Society of America,
the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the New York Academy of Medicine.
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the dean of the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at North-
eastern University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College, her master’s and doc-
toral degrees from Boston College, and her Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Post-Master’s Certificate
from NYU. Dr.€Fulmer’s program of research focuses on acute care of the elderly and, specifically,
elder abuse and neglect. She has received the status of fellow in the American Academy of Nursing,
the Gerontological Society of America, and the New York Academy of Medicine. She completed
a Brookdale National Fellowship and is a distinguished practitioner of the National Academies of
Practice. Dr. Fulmer was the first nurse to be elected to the board of the American Geriatrics Society
and the first nurse to serve as the president of the Gerontological Society of America.
DeAnne Zwicker, DrNP, APRN, BC is an ANCC certified adult nurse practitioner and is currently
working as independent geriatric consultant. She completed her doctor of nursing practice (DrNP)
in 2010 with a primary focus as a clinical scientist and secondary in education at Drexel University
in Philadelphia. Her dissertation was entitled Preparedness, Appraisal of Behaviors, and Role Strain in
Dementia Family Caregivers and the Caregiver Perspective of Preparedness and was a mixed-method
study. She was a coeditor and chapter author for the fourth edition of Evidence-based Geriatric Nurs-
ing Protocols (in press) as well as the third edition (2008), and managing editor for the second edi-
tion (2003). She has served as the content editor of www.ConsultGeriRN.org since its inception.
She recently instituted the NICHE program at Washington Hospital Center, which was awarded
national NICHE designation. Ms. Zwicker has been a registered nurse for 32 years, with clinical
practice experience as a geriatric nurse practitioner since 1992 in primary care, subacute care, long-
term care, and clinical expert consultant in geriatrics. She has also taught nursing at the graduate level
at NYU and Drexel University. Her areas of interest in geriatrics include proactive interventions in
older adults, including prevention of adverse drug events and iatrogenesis in persons with dementia
and prevention and/or early recognition of delirium.
Ardis O’Meara, MA manages Geriatric Nursing, Heart and Lung: The Journal of Acute and Â�Critical
Care, and other geriatric nursing books. Her experience includes cardiology and research.
, Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing
Protocols for Best Practice
4th Edition
Marie Boltz, PhD, RN, APRN-BC
Elizabeth Capezuti, PhD, RN, FAAN
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
DeAnne Zwicker, DrNP, APRN, BC
EDITORS
Ardis O’Meara, MA
MANAGING EDITOR
