Kathy McGilton

Katherine S. McGilton is a Senior Scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network, scientist at the KITE Research Institute at University Health Network, and Associate Professor (Status Only) at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto. She is a past recipient of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Research New and Mid-Career Awards (2004, 2011). She has spearheaded two committees – the Canadian Network for Nurse Researchers in Aging (CN²RA) founded in 2012 and the International Consortium of Professional Nurses in Long-Term Care founded in 2011 – focused on building nursing research capacity to both lead and to contribute to interdisciplinary research, practice, education and policy. She is currently the co-lead of Theme 3 (Quality of Life) for the Canadian Consortium on Neurodegenerative Diseases in Aging (CCNA).  She has research funding as the principal investigator from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Alzheimer Society of Canada, Nursing Research Fund, MOH&LTC, and the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.  The focus of her is on enhancing the care of the older adult, especially those with dementia, through the development and application of interventions, outcome measures and models of care in practice. Her work has examined the nature of relationships between nursing staff and older adults and between staff and their supervisors in long-term care and the effect on staff outcomes and quality of care of older adults. She also developed a model of care for rehabilitating complex patients post-hip fracture surgery, targeting patients with cognitive impairment that was subsequently evaluated in an investigator-initiated, multi-site clinical trial.

Research Synopsis

Dr. McGilton's research focus is in care of persons with cognitive impairment, particularly in identifying interventions and models of care delivery that lead to effective patient outcomes. She also has experience in outcome measure development and has published on various aspects of intervention and outcomes in dementia care, rehabilitation care and long-term care.

Dr. McGilton has research funding as the principal investigator from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Nursing Research Fund, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and Canadian Health Services Research Foundation.

Recent Publications

1. An Interprofessional Communication Training Program to Improve Nurses' Ability to Communicate With Stroke Patients With Communication Disorders.
   Rehabil Nurs. 2018 Nov/Dec;43(6):E25-E34
   Chu CH, Sorin-Peters R, Sidani S, De La Huerta B, McGilton KS
2. Patient engagement in research related to dementia: A scoping review.
   Dementia (London). 2018 Nov;17(8):944-975
   Bethell J, Commisso E, Rostad HM, Puts M, Babineau J, Grinbergs-Saull A, Wighton MB, Hammel J, Doyle E, Nadeau S, McGilton KS
3. A Feasibility Study of a Multifaceted Walking Intervention to Maintain the Functional Mobility, Activities of Daily Living, and Quality of Life of Nursing Home Residents With Dementia.
   Rehabil Nurs. 2018 Oct 12;:
   Chu CH, Puts M, Brooks D, Parry M, McGilton KS
4. Exploring the sensory screening experiences of nurses working in long-term care homes with residents who have dementia: a qualitative study.
   BMC Geriatr. 2018 Oct 04;18(1):235
   Höbler F, Argueta-Warden X, Rodríguez-Monforte M, Escrig-Pinol A, Wittich W, McGilton KS
5. Identifying and understanding the health and social care needs of older adults with multiple chronic conditions and their caregivers: a scoping review.
   BMC Geriatr. 2018 Oct 01;18(1):231
   McGilton KS, Vellani S, Yeung L, Chishtie J, Commisso E, Ploeg J, Andrew MK, Ayala AP, Gray M, Morgan D, Chow AF, Parrott E, Stephens D, Hale L, Keatings M, Walker J, Wodchis WP, Dubé V, McElhaney J, Puts M