Denise Harrison

Assistant Professor
Room: RGN 3247A
Phone: 613-562-5800 ext. 8693
Fax: 613-562-5443
Email: Denise.Harrison@uOttawa.ca

Chair in Nursing Care of Children, Youth and Families
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and University of Ottawa

Honorary Research Fellow
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute (MCRI)
Royal Children's Hospital
Victoria, Australia

Honorary Senior Fellow
The University of Melbourne
Victoria, Australia

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor, and Chair in Nursing Care of Children, Youth and Families at CHEO. Taking up this position in January 2011 involved a move of 16,558 kms, from a hot sunny Melbourne, Australia to a chilly but beautiful white Ottawa winter. 

My research career began as a single clinical question; “how can we reduce pain during painful procedures in sick babies?” This came after working for many years in neonatal and paediatric intensive care where infants and children are exposed to large numbers of painful procedures during their care. Seeking answers to this single question led to many more questions about pain management in our youngest patients and effective methods of translating knowledge into practice. Knowledge translation requires a strong advocacy role and understanding how to use all mediums for communicating research findings. I was therefore proud to be a 2011 Mayday Pain and Society Fellow which supports scholars to go beyond their own professional pursuits to become leaders and advocates for improvements in the pain field.

2007

Doctor of Philosophy

The University of Melbourne, Australia

2002

Master of Nursing

The University of Melbourne, Australia

1992

Bachelor of Nursing

Deakin University, Geelong¸ Australia

1990

Midwifery

Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

1988

Paediatric Intensive Care Nursing Course

Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia

1984

Diploma of Nursing

Geelong Hospital, Geelong, Australia

Research Interests

• Knowledge translation of research into clinical practice

• Pain management in sick infants

• Sucrose analgesia in diverse populations of infants and children

Selected Publications

• Harrison D, Loughnan P, Manias E, Smith K, Johnston L.Effects of concomitant opioid analgesics and oral sucrose during heel lancing. Early Human Development 2011; 87 147-149

• Harrison D, Bueno M, Yamada J, Adams-Webber T, Stevens B. Analgesic effects of sweet tasting solutions in infants: Current state of equipoise Pediatrics 2010; 126(5): 894-902

• Harrison D, Stevens B, Bueno M, Yamada J, Adams-Webber T, Beyene J, Ohlsson A. Efficacy of sweet solutions for analgesia in infants between one and 12 months of age: A systematic review. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2010; 95(6): 406-413 

• Harrison D, Yamada J, Stevens B. Strategies for the Prevention and Management of Neonatal and Infant Pain. (Invited paper). Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2010; 14: 113-123

• Harrison D, Yamada J, Adams-Webber T, Ohlsson A, Beyene J, Stevens B. Sweet-tasting solutions for needle-related procedural pain in children aged one to 16 years. (Protocol) Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD008408. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008408.

• Harrison D, Loughnan P, Manias E, Gordan I, Johnston L. The effectiveness of repeated doses of oral sucrose in reducing procedural pain during the course of an infant's prolonged hospitalization. Nursing Research. 2009; 58(6): 427-434

• Harrison D, Loughnan P, Manias E, Johnston L. Analgesics Administered During Minor Painful Procedures in a Cohort of Hospitalized Infants: A Prospective Clinical Audit. The Journal of Pain.  2009;10(7): 715-722

• Harrison D, Loughnan P, Manias E, Johnston L. Utilization of analgesics, sedatives, and pain scores in infants with a prolonged hospitalization: A prospective descriptive cohort study. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2009;46(5):624–32

• Harrison D, Oral sucrose for pain management in infants: myths and misconceptions. Journal of Neonatal Nursing. 2008; 14:39-46