Catherine Mary Paoletti

Catherine Mary Paoletti age 58, of Highland Park. Beloved wife of Michael Joseph Howard; dear daughter of the late Mary and the late Massimo Paoletti; loving sister of Theresa (Lee) Mamula, Jeanette (Hal) Holth, Michael Paoletti, Richard Paoletti and Deborah O’Brien; fond aunt of Terry (Winston) Rendall, Laurie (Jim) Linneman, Patrick (Luci) Kaup, Richard (Mandi) Kaup, Amy Gulotta, Guin (Steve) Gilford, Mary Paoletti (Ryan Holmberg), Rose Paoletti (AJ Seidler) and Coleman O’Brien. Catherine was a dedicated ISCU Nurse at Evanston Hospital for 30 years. She was honored by the National Association for Neo Natal Nurses for her outstanding research work: see article below. ). Catherine was a tireless volunteer locally as well as in China and Saudi Arabia. She was also a long time Meals on Wheels Volunteer. Catherine will be greatly missed by her family, friends and families she has served over the years. Visitation Friday October 16, 2020 10:00 a.m. until time of Funeral Mass 11:00 a.m. at Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Parish 1747 Lake Avenue Wilmette, IL 60091. Interment All Saints Cemetery, DesPlaines, IL. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to https://foundation.northshore.org/associate-board-donate. Due to Covid 19 please wear mask and follow social distancing. A dedicated Infant Special Care Unit (ISCU) nurse at NorthShore Evanston Hospital for 14 years, Cathy Paoletti, RN, has always been passionate about her work and her tiny patients. With no formal training in research, Paoletti became a Nurse Research Fellow and harnessed her passion for patient care to conduct a study that has received national attention and helped change practices in neonatal intensive care units across the country. Thanks to the support of NorthShore’s Nursing Research Council and a team of fellow ISCU nurses, Paoletti and Nurse Manager Tina Edwardson, RN, BSN, RNC, (who served as co-investigator) designed a clinical study looking at frequency for changing nasogastric tubes (NGTs) used for feeding premature infants. The study, approved by the NorthShore Institutional Review Board, was funded by the NorthShore Associate Board. NorthShore’s ISCU policy had been to change tubes weekly. But when manufacturers recom-mended changing tubes monthly, with no clinical evidence to support the safety of this practice, Paoletti and colleagues were concerned about the growth of pathogens and subsequent risk for infection. “I used to think research seemed dry and not something I was interested in,” Paoletti said. “But this was something I believed in and felt I could make a difference.” Paoletti brought together a team of nurses to help collect data, which according to Nursing Research Council Chair Nancy Rodriguez, PhD, APN, NNP-BC, was an invaluable approach that broke down a barrier many staff nurses feel when considering research. “This was a labor-intensive study with a very strict research protocol,” Rodriguez said. The results were dramatic with 70 percent of the NGT cultures showing potentially pathogenic growth by day seven. With the full support of ISCU physicians Michael Caplan, MD, and William MacKendrick, MD, the policy was not changed as manufacturers recommended and tubes are still replaced after one week. Paoletti has presented the findings locally and nationally. She and fellow ISCU Nurse Holly Pilarek, RN, were also invited to present at the upcoming Research Summit for the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, a prestigious honor for the nurses and NorthShore. Additionally, Paoletti is preparing a manuscript at the invitation of a nursing journal editor. “This is much bigger than I ever imagined, and I am humbled by the attention,” Paoletti said. “If this saves one baby’s life, then I’ve accomplished the most important thing.” Rodriguez is justifiably proud of Paoletti’s work and the recognition. “Nurses were quickly taking notes at her national presentation. Presenters are typically advanced practice nurses with doctoral degrees; Cathy is a staff nurse and she just blew them away.” -NorthShore University HealthSystem 2011 Nursing Annual Report