AkkeNeel Talsma

AkkeNeel Talsma serves as an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where her research focuses on optimizing healthcare delivery systems and improving patient safety outcomes through nursing science. She actively contributes to the Faculty Research Groups in Healthcare Delivery and Development and Maternal Infant Outcomes, addressing critical gaps in surgical care and maternal health.

Education:

• PhD in Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• MS in Community Health Nursing, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• BSN in Nursing, Academie voor de Gezondheidszorg, Groningen, The Netherlands
• Diploma Nurse (RN) in Acute Care, Diakonessenhuis, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

Dr. Talsma's research program integrates nursing informatics with clinical practice to enhance patient safety, particularly in surgical settings. Her work examines pressure ulcer prevention mechanisms, operating room staffing impacts, and maternal-infant outcome optimization through data-driven interventions. She has developed influential frameworks like the Quality, Implementation, and Evaluation Model for sustainable clinical practice changes and the MISSCARE Survey OR for measuring nursing care omissions.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals consistent emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare quality improvement. Key trends include surgical safety checklist implementation, racial disparities in patient activation, and academic-clinical research partnerships. Her work bridges nursing practice with health services research, frequently utilizing mixed-methods approaches to address system-level challenges in patient outcomes.

Scientific Awards:

• Distinguished Scholar Award (2015, March) MNRS
• AORN Journal Writers Contest (2014, March) AORN Journal
• FAAN (2011, October) American Academy of Nursing
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Nurse Faculty Scholar (2008, May) Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Dr. Talsma has secured significant research funding through collaborations including the AORN and University of Michigan School of Nursing Research Alliance. Her federally supported work examines failure-to-rescue metrics and nursing staffing effects on surgical outcomes. She actively mentors mid-career nurse scientists through the Midwest Nursing Research Society initiatives and contributes to national patient safety dialogues, as evidenced by her involvement with the Michigan State Commission on Patient Safety.

Her current research portfolio focuses on sustainable implementation of clinical decision support tools and addressing disparities in maternal healthcare through data-driven nursing interventions, positioning her at the forefront of healthcare delivery innovation.