Publications

• Patient Safety Culture in Nephrology Nurse Practice Settings: Initial Findings
• Patient Handoffs in Nephrology Nurse Practice Settings: A Safety Study
• Decreasing Infections in Nephrology Patient Populations
• Patient Safety and Patient Safety Culture in Nephrology Nurse Practice Settings: Issues, Solutions, and Best Practices
• Hemodialysis Catheter Outcomes Pilot Study
• Patients' Perceptions of Hemodialysis Catheter Care at Home
• Using Evidence-Based Practice to Move Beyond Doing Things the Way We Have Always Done Them
• The Role of Interprofessional Collaboration in Supporting a Culture of Safety
• Partnering with Patients Using Social Media to Develop a Hypertension Management Tool
• Placing Patients with Hypertension at the Center of Self-Management and Research

Specialties & Experience

General Specialties: Nurse and Nephrology

Specialty Focus: Nursing, Nurse, Dialysis, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal Dialysis, Vascular Access, Fistula, Graft, kidney disease, ESRD, Acute Dialysis, Chronic, Nursing Education, Patient Safety, Evidence-Based Practice, Kidney/Renal/Intensive Care, blood pressure, Hand-off/Nursing Report, Infection, Prevent Infection

Education: PhD, Villanova University; MSN, Thomas Jefferson University; BSN, Gwynedd-Mercy University

Years in Practice: 29

Number of Times Deposed/Testified in Last 4 Yrs: 3

Additional Information

Tamara Kear, PhD, RN, CNS, CNN is a certified nephrology nurse, tenured associate nursing professor at Villanova University and holds a joint appointment with Main Line Health as a research consultant. Tamara is also a practicing nephrology nurse for Fresenius Kidney Care. She is a graduate of Thomas Jefferson University and Villanova University. She has 30 years of dialysis and nephrology nursing experience. Dr. Kear conducted the first national studies investigating patient and nurse safety in nephrology settings. Dr. Kear is the past chair of American Nephrology Nurses Association's (ANNA) research committee and currently sits on the ANNA Board of Directors, Renal Physicians Association’s National Dialysis Safety Initiative Steering Committee, and Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition (Network 5) Infection Prevention Subcommittee. Tamara has conducted extensive case reviews of dialysis access rupture and bleeding, infection, nursing care delivery, scope of nursing practice care, and care of patients with chronic conditions. She is also on the editorial board for the Nephrology Nursing Journal and edits an evidence-based practice column for this journal. Dr. Kear is nationally recognized for her research and experience in the area of patient safety in dialysis and nephrology settings. She has published and presented extensively on this topic. Dr. Kear is also recognized for speaking on the role evidence-base practice contributes to the delivery of high quality and safe nursing care. Dr. Kear has dedicated her career to the care of adult patients with chronic illnesses. She has conducted research in the area of high blood pressure/hypertension. She has 6 years of legal nursing experience and has given depositions, written reports, and testified. She has experience working on the plaintiff and defendant sides of cases. Dr. Kear is a member of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants.