Biography:

Dr. Cheryl Parker is a CRNA with Obstetrical Anesthesia Consultants. An anesthesia practice which provides exclusive, 24 hour service, to the L&D units of Norton Healthcare. She completed both the Masters of Science in Nursing, and Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees at Murray State University in Kentucky. Her 22 year nursing career includes experince in Labor & Delivery, Neonatal ICU, Adult Open-Heart Recovery/ICU, and Obstetric Anesthesia. Her case report on Rape Trauma Syndrome was published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing in May of 2015.

Abstract:

This case report identifies the innovative nursing approach used to facilitate care for an obstetric patient suffering with Rape Trauma Syndrome during labor. Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) is a post-traumatic stress disorder that can be triggered by routine procedures experienced during childbirth. An explanation of RTS, signs and symptoms, and how to avoid retraumatization during intrapartum care will be addressed. A case report is presented from a provider perspective to illustrate the seriousness of this disorder and the importance of delivering respectful care. A new approach to obstetrical routines is warranted in order to avoid further traumatizing the woman with RTS. Nurses’ creative and innovative thinking is highlighted by the description of how a YouTube video on Foley catheter placement was used to instruct a patient, allowing her to perform self-catheterization following epidural anesthesia. A brief examination of smartphone use, obstetrical websites, and Healthy People 2020 objectives is also included.

Biography:

Dr. Rosenkoetter has over 30 years experience in nursing administration, teaching, and research. She is a recognized authority on global nursing and health care. She has numerous publications as well as national and international presentations, and has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing for 25 years.

Abstract:

Internationally educated nurses (IENs) are RNs whose initial nursing education took place outside of the United States or in the U.S. territories (formerly termed foreign-trained or foreign-educated nurses). They represent a larger percentage of the U.S. nursing workforce in recent years, comprising 5.1 percent of RNs licensed before 2004, compared with 8.1 percent since then. The Philippines continued to dominate as the source country of the IEN workforce (50 percent), followed by Canada at nearly 12 percent. India supplied 9.6 percent and the United Kingdom provided 6 percent, with the contributions from India accelerating and surpassing those from the United Kingdom among recent licensees. Approximately one-quarter of IENs lived in California in 2008, with New York, Florida, and Texas each home to 10 to 12 percent of IENs. When migrated nurses begin employment in a new setting, they need an enculturation process and orientation to their new environment. This includes not only nursing approaches but medical interventions and an immersion in new technologies. This process should involves changes in their roles, their responsibilities, and the use as well as the structure of their time. They need to acquire new support groups and have opportunities to build their own self-esteem. This paper proposes a process to achieve these goals.

Biography:

She is a professor of paediatrics and neonatology in Cairo University. She was graduated in 1994, had his Master degree in paediatrics in 1998 and doctorate degree in paediatrics in 2001. She is an international board certified lactation consultant since 2004 (got the highest score in Egypt). She is a board member of Lactation education accreditation and approval committee in USA, which provides approval and accreditation to all.

Abstract:

Breast milk is the white blood containing almost all the factors essential for the physical, physiological and psychological maturity of the preterm infant. Its function represents a continuum of the placental function. Preterm infants are inevitably deprived of the placenta in late pregnancy so the human factor should fight to provide the baby with this white blood; the breast milk. This needs a tight strategy to be mastered by the authorized personnel in the NICU. The policy should include the guidelines of milk expression, storage, transfer and providence to the baby. Promotion of the kangaroo mother care is an important adjuvant. Proper counselling of the mother is also of utmost importance together with the post discharge support of the mothers to continue breastfeeding. There are frequently asked questions about breastfeeding but the reply are commonly confusing. A rumour concerning breastfeeding is easily transferred among doctors, nurses, friends and families, with the mother and baby paying the price. These widely spread wrong beliefs represents a major obstacle to successful breastfeeding. In this session, common misbelieves about breastfeeding are handled. Frequently asked questions during the antenatal, natal and postnatal periods are answered. Lots of infants are exposed to formula feeding without any indication. The best way to salvage these infants from this unjustified exposure to formula is proper lactation counselling of their mothers. Identifying the causes of insufficient milk supply is of utmost importance. Targeting these causes and boosting the mother’s milk should be the primary line of management. Paediatricians should be ware of the true indications for formula supplementation, not to deprive our infants of their mothers’ milk.

Biography:

Johannesssen completed her PhD at the University of Oslo in 2013. She has a full time position as researcher and teacher at the Faculty of Nursing and Health promotion, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, and holds a part time position as a senior researcher at Health Services Research Unit, Akershus University Hospital, Lørenskog, Norway. She has a background as anestethist nurse and holds a master degree in pedagogics. She is a member of Østfold Hospital research board, and the board of Care - Health and Welfare at Oslo and Akershus University College.

Abstract:

Municipal acute units (MAU) is a new healthcare service that all Norwegian municipalities are obligated to offer their residents within January 1, 2016. These units, organized at the interface between hospital and municipal homecare services, aim to prevent or shorten hospital stays and alleviate some of the pressure on the hospital sector. Urgent inpatient municipal care involves organizational changes, and raise questions whether this creates new interfaces with increased risk of failure in patient safety. Common diagnosis for admission to a MAU are: fractures, pain conditions, leg ulcers, infections, constipation, diarrhea, pneumonia, COPD exacerbation and cognitive impairment. The patient’s average age is 75. GPs, emergency departments and outpatient polyclinics transfer patients to MAUs. The inpatient timeframe is three days. In an pilot study we have explored how user participation in treatment and care happens in a MAU. Findings show that lack of resources, short length of stay and bustle result in limited user participation. The staff collaborate well, but they strive to establish an appropriate collaboration towards the patients’ families, and professionals working at the purchaser offices in the city districts. Fragile patients, some suffering of dementia or complex somatic diseases, influence the degree of user participation. Findings in the pilot study will be important for further development of a PhD project aiming to study conditions promoting and preventing user participation from the perspectives of patients and family caregivers.

Biography:

Robert has obtained his BSN from the University of Texas-Arlington and is currently completing his studies for his MSN in Nursing Administration at the University of Texas-Arlington. Since 2012 Robert has been the nurse director for the emergency department at Texas Health Harris Methodist-Azle which is a seven bed ED that is a Level IV Trauma Center as well as a Stroke and Chest Pain accredited center. This ED has seen on average over 25,000 patients per year over the last 5 years.

Abstract:

Falls in the Emergency Department (ED) are a concern for most hospitals. Since 2005 the Texas Health Harris Methodist-Azle ED volume has been increasing and so has the number of patient falls. In 2012 the department experienced on average one fall every month. While the total number of falls was small, it was felt by nursing leadership that one fall is too many. The ED Director formed as task force of staff to examine each fall in 2012 to determine what factors impacted the patient fall and developed an action plan to address each of these. The plan was implemented in the first quarter of 2013 which resulted in a decrease of the number of falls. In the first quarter of 2014 there was an increase again in the number of falls and it was determined that this was attributed to staff turnover. Education was provided again to all staff and the subsequent quarters of that year had a decrease in the number of falls. In the first three quarters of 2015 there have been a total of 6 falls. By doing a root cause analysis (RCA) of each fall it was determined where there were opportunities to improve and education of the staff on these areas has resulted in a decrease in the number of falls.

Biography:

Dr Alisher Agzamov has completed his MD in 1981 from Tashkent University and postdoctoral PhD studies from Moscow University School of Medicine in 1991. During 1992 – 1998 He was a Senior Consultant Cardiac Anaesthesiologist of the European Cardiac Surgery Programme and Professor of Anaesthesiology of the University of Zambia and University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia; From 1998 till up to date He is the Senior Consultant Anaesthesiologist for the Department of Anaesthesiology & ICU, Kuwait Cancer Control Center ( KCCC). Ministry of Health, Kuwait City, Kuwait. He has published more than 550 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial International board member of reputable Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Journals. His main scientific interest in fields for Anaesthesia and ICU Management Surgical and Medical ICU Oncology Patients. His using extensively Robots Physicians in ICU Management of Oncology ICU patients.

Abstract:

This study used a randomized trial to test whether Robot Physician enhances the nurse-ICU physician collaboration satisfaction about care decisions. ICU physician randomly used either the conventional telephone or the RP-7 robot (In Touch (®) Health, USA) to perform night-time rounding in a surgical ICU. The Collaboration and Satisfaction about ICU Care Decisions (CSACD) survey instrument was used to measure the nurse-physician collaboration. The CSACD scores were compared using the signed-rank test with a significant p value of ≤0.05.

RESULTS: From December 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015, 2000 off-shift nurses submitted 10600 surveys during telephone rounds and 10800 surveys during robot rounds. The median score of surveys during robot rounds was slightly but not significantly higher than telephone rounds (53 versus 50; p=0.3). However, the CSACD score was significantly increased from baseline with robot rounds (91.0 versus 42.0; p >0.01), in comparison with telephone rounds (50.0 versus 43.0; p=0.09). The mediators, including age, working experience, and robot acceptance, were not significantly (p>0.1) correlated with the CSACD score difference (robot versus telephone).

CONCLUSIONS: Robot Physician rounding in the ICU was superior to the telephone in regard to the nurse-physician collaboration and satisfaction about care decision. The working experience and technology acceptance of ICU nurses contribute to the preference of night shift rounding method from the aspect of collaboration with the ICU physician about ICU care decision-making.

Biography:

Shelley C. Moore received her BSN from State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome, NY. She received a masters of science in nursing administration from Barry University, Miami Shores, FL. She holds a PhD in Health Sciences, majoring in international health education and research. Her research interests include the study of structural empowerment in the work environment, structural empowerment within the student learning environment, clinical reasoning, decisional involvement of staff nurses, effects of simulation on teamwork. She has been an Assistant Professor at Middle Tennessee State University School of Nursing for 5 1/2 years and currently teaches online courses in the graduate program, the RN to BSN program, and ground courses in the traditional undergraduate program. Dr, Moore has published in journals, such as The Journal of Nursing Administration, International Journal of Childbirth Education, and American Nurse Today and has presented at local, regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Moore has a 35+ year history of working in both community hospitals and academic medical centers.

Abstract:

This intervention research study included a cross-training of experienced Medical/Surgical Registered Nurses and Nursing Technicians using human patient simulation to learn care of pediatric patients. The study took place in a regional hospital in the Southern Middle Tennessee area. The purpose of the study was to educate Medical/Surgical nursing staff in caring for a pediatric population, necessitated by organizational restructuring, while studying the training’s effect on teamwork. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. All participants completed a pretest regarding perceptions of teamwork before the intervention group underwent cross-training. Comparisons of teamwork were made between the control group and experimental group. The intervention was comprised of three hours of human patient simulation with a pediatric simulator. Unfolding scenarios included the infant with fever/dehydration and the child with asthma exacerbation. The intervention group was given a post-test regarding teamwork. Pre-test/post-test comparisons were made to determine if the simulation intervention made a significant difference in perceptions of teamwork. Anecdotal debriefing results included increased knowledge in caring for pediatric patients while at the same time enhancing collaboration between the newly merged staff and the Unit Educator. Both quantitative and qualitative data will be shared during the presentation.

Biography:

After many years of critical care nursing experience, Marie-Madlen Jeitziner completed her PhD at the age of 45 from the University of Maastricht in The Netherlands. She is currently employed by the University Hospital of Bern as a researcher on the ICU and supervises master’s theses. She has published articles in Swiss and international journals and supervises projects in nursing research and development.

Abstract:

As older patients increasingly survive intensive care unit hospitalization, the long-term quality of life is also an significant outcome. Therefore, this presentation investigates the health-related quality of life; an important outcome for assessing ICU treatment, and assisting patients, relatives and healthcare professionals in selecting treatment decisions one year after an ICU stay. A prospective non-randomised longitudinal study investigated the health-related quality-of-life of older patients. The Short Form Health Survey 36 was administered 1 week after an ICU stay (retrospective baseline), and after 6 and 12 months to the study population and to an age-matched comparison group at recruitment (baseline), and after 6 and 12 months. Demographic data, admission diagnosis, length of stay, severity of illness, pain, anxiety, agitation, and intratracheal suctioning, turning and intubation were recorded. Recruitment period: December 2008 to April 2011. Health-related quality of life was significantly lower than the comparison group, both before and after the ICU stay, and showed great individual variability. Within group scores, however, were stable. Both physical and mental health scores were lower for the older patients. Renal failure, cardiac surgery and illness severity were associated with lower physical health scores. Cardiovascular illness, intratracheal suctioning and turning were associated with lower mental health scores. After discharge older patients with severe illnesses, cardiac surgery or acute renal failure need additional support. Discharge planning should ensure that support. The development and utilisation of methods to reduce distress during routine intensive care interventions such as intratracheal suctioning or turning is needed.

Biography:

Dr. Yung-Mei Yang service as an associate professor and head of research development and international division in college of nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan. She earned her PhD from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), school of nursing, Australia. She has devoted herself in the nursing education for ten years. She has been a leader of multidiscipline education program in nursing education and teaching community health nursing, age care, cultural nursing and women’s health. Her researches are mostly focusing on women’s health, domestic violence and culture nursing and community health issues.

Abstract:

Background and Purpose: Public health professionals are increasingly concerned about the migration of transnational marriages across Asia. These group of families not only complicated health issues but also highly vulnerable to domestic violence for the immigrant women’s families. This purpose of this study is to explore the health concerns among domestic violence of Southeast Asian immigrant women in Taiwan.

Methods: Qualitative in-depth interview and semi-structured interview index were used for data collection. The convenient sampling and snow ball technique were used to recruit the participants. 38 transnational marriage women’s families with DV experienced were invited in this study. The thematic analysis was used to analyze the categories and themes of domestic violence health experience among battered Southeast Asian immigrant women’s family in Taiwan.

Results: 30 abused participants were completed the interview (22 Vietnamese and 8 Indonesian). Participants ranged in age from 20 to 39 years, with a mean age of 27.4 years (SD = 4.6). The levels of education for the majority of participants were elementary school and junior high school. The women’s length of residency in Taiwan ranged from 6 months to 10 years, with a mean number of 4.3 years (SD = 2.6). Five outcome themes of this study include: 1. Frequent psychosomatic complains, 2. Codependence relationships with family members, 3. Lack of efforts to seek help, 4. Isolate social networks, and 5. Acculturative stress.

Conclusions and Implications: The result of the study will contribute to develop appropriate health policy for immigrant women’s health and well-being .

Biography:

Debbie McCarthy completed the Bachelor of Social Work in year 2000, prior to this she was an enrolled nurse for 15yrs, during this period working in residential care facilities, palliative care and a brain injury unit. As a social worker she has been employed as a counselor for Human Services Task Force in tissue retention, has worked in various inpatient wards. She has worked as the Flinders Medical Centre Emergency Department Social Work Team Coordinator for 12yrs, having extensive experience in crisis intervention and trauma counseling; she has also designed a number of resources for consumers and staff. She established a training program for staff in the Emergency Department and Post-graduate nursing program and has been a guest speaker at various workshops in Adelaide. She is on a state-wide advisory group regarding domestic violence for education and clinical procedures. She has recently won the Excellence in Allied Health Award for the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network for her work in domestic violence.

Abstract:

Women who have experienced domestic and family violence use health services more frequently than women who have not. Early identification and intervention by the health system may reduce health problems associated with domestic and family violence and lead to saving for the health sector. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a new domestic and family violence screening program, which was based on an ecological model and introduced by a social work team in the Emergency Department of a major metropolitan hospital. The evaluation method included an audit of social work case files to access the effect on referral rates and a survey of Emergency Department staff to obtain perceptions of the impact of the program on the staff and clients. In the 3 month period following the introduction of the program, the rate of referral to social work increased by 213%. Staff agreed that the Emergency Department is an appropriate place to ask about domestic and family violence, under certain conditions. Findings suggest that an ecological social work model provides an approach to screening for domestic and family violence that not only contributes to increased identification and supportive client interventions but may also contribute to more sustainable systemic change.

Biography:

Rena Boss-Victoria has completed her DrPH and MPH from University of Texas School of Public Health and postdoctoral studies from University of Alabama School of Public Health Injury Control Center. She is the director/Chair of the Nursing Department at the first recognized Historical Black Colleges/Universities (HBCUs) in the Eastern Region of USA. She has built her professional career on a trajectory through practice to education to research to policy. The targeted outcomes were population health improvement and increased community capacity. Much of the work focused on increased access to quality health services for populations facing disparities. She has published and presented numerous papers and has been serving as an Editorial Board Chair.

Abstract:

Over the last few two decades, a plethora of studies have documented disparities in healthcare outcomes in communities of color. Consequently, a crescendo of knowledge about, symptoms of and potential solutions to close the gaps healthcare outcomes between communities of color as other communities who consistently experience higher healthcare outcomes has exponentially grown. Moreover, efforts of government and private agencies have grown significantly. The enactment of the American Affordable Care Act by the Congress of United States of American and signed in to federal law by President Barrack M Obama represented a very important set of changes in the healthcare delivery system in the U.S. The policy changes mandated by that law are still unfolding today. Unfortunately, identified gaps that were identified long ago still persist. In fact, in some cases, identified gaps have actually increased. The current paper is focused on an analysis of three major elements regarding healthcare outcomes with the context of social determinants of healthcare and disabilities outcomes. Those elements are: Activities of Daily Living Deficit (ADLD), Service Expectation Deficit (SED), and Confidence in Service Deficit (CISD).

Biography:

Julio-Cesar de la Torre-Montero teaches Oncologic Nursing Care and Palliative Care along with Ethic and Research Methodology at Comillas Pontifical University since 2014. Before starting his full-time teaching in college, he worked at Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Madrid, Spain, being an active researcher in clinical trials. His clinical experience in the onco-hematological field spends over more than twenty years. In Europe, he has worked in primary care, implementing health education programs (Skeletal Care Academy) for patients, in order to improve their quality of life and to promote a healthy lifestyle. Overseas, he has designed and implemented Health Programs in Africa.

Abstract:

Clinical trials in nursing have special requests that need attention and specific training. From a clinical training perspective, they provide us with an extensive experience along with theoretical knowledge. In order to achieve the competences that will allow us to become experts, we need to combine the experience in the academics and clinical field. We gathered a team of experts (three nurses, two pharmacists, one physician) with clinical experience as well as an extensive trajectory as college professors in order to define several competences (general, specific, and some of them particularly designed) to be applied in a nurse study in an Oncology Clinical Trial. We named and classified these competences in several categories such as: to know the competence, to know how to design the competence and to know how to perform such competence. To describe the competences of a study nurse, we must point out that study nurses take place in a multidisciplinary team, working with proper and delegated tasks. They do not just provide nursing care such as vital signs registration and administration of the prescribed medication. Along with that, they provide health education and assessment on treatment adherence. They are also responsible for the performance of complementary techniques including: providing assistance with the quality of life questionnaire-completion, EKG recording and blood extraction (that will be necessary to determine the phase I-II kinetics, pharmacogenomics, circulating tumor cells and basic blood work). They should also be ready to respond to adverse events and reactions coming from the prescribed treatments. Related to the above mentioned skills, it is important to know not only how to perform these techniques correctly, but to know why as well as the way how to approach the patient‘s needs.

Biography:

Sevgi Ozkan has completed her Master and PhD at the Ege University, Faculty of Nursing. She became Associate Professor for the department of Obstetrics and Gynecologic Nursing in 2010. She is the head of the nursing department at Faculty of Health Science in Pamukale University. She has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute. 

Abstract:

Objective: To determine the functional status of fathers whose wives were pregnant or in the early postnatal period.

Sample & Setting: The research population comprised 3750 fathers whose wives were pregnant or in the early postnatal period, and who were registered at a primary health clinic in the province centre. The research sample comprised 275 husbands of women who were registered at these clinics and who were in at least their 28th week of a normal (not at-risk) pregnancy with a single fetus, or who were in the early postnatal period (6-8 weeks postnatal) following birth of a single baby between the 38th and 42nd week without complications. Due to fathers declining to participate in the study or unable to participate because of busy work schedules, the research was completed with 155 fathers-to-be and 93 fathers; in total, 90% of the target sample was reached. A socio-demographic survey and the Inventory of Functional Status-Fathers were used for data collection and to describe the functional abilities of fathers-to-be and fathers.

Findings: No statistically significant differences were found in functional status between the husbands of pregnant women and the husbands of women in the early postnatal period. Number of pregnancies was not significantly related to any of the seven subscales of fathers' functional status; age of husband, length of marriage and occupation of wife were significantly related to one subscale; occupation of husband and health insurance were significantly related to two subscales; income status of husband and educational level of wife were significantly related to three subscales; and educational level of husband was significantly related to four subscales.

Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference in functional status for the husbands of pregnant women and the husbands of postnatal women, socio-demographic factors were found to have an effect.

Biography:

Janine Martha Farquharson has been a qualified Registered Nurse and Midwife since 1978 and has since obtained a Bachelor on Nursing, a Graduate Certificate in Youth and Child Health Nursing and completed a Master of Midwifery in 2011.  She was involved in a publication involving a change in practice for Category 1 Caesarean Sections. 

Abstract:

The Ngarrama Royal Midwifery Group Practice (NRMGP) was introduced to provide continuity of care/r for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (A&TSI) women throughout the continuum of pregnancy, irrespective of their pregnancy risk. The aim of this initiative is to improve the health outcomes of this group of women, their babies and their families. This is in keeping with the government initiative to close the gap in health outcomes of Aboriginal and / or Torres Strait Islander women and their families (Closing the Gap: National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous early Childhood Development). In April 2011 the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Maternity Service commenced providing antenatal and postnatal care only. A combination of client feedback, increasing client numbers, and available published evidence resulted in the introduction of an All Risk Midwifery Group Practice continuity of care model for the Aboriginal community. The NRMGP Continuity of Care Model was launched on the 5^th of January 2015. Data shows that 88% of women engaged with the NRMGP are attending eight or more antenatal visits, compared to 60% for non-Ngarrama A&TSI clients. The birth of low birth weight babies less than 2500g is now on par with the non-indigenous population (non-indigenous 12.06%, Ngarrama MGP 12.43%, non-Ngarrama A&TSI 53.33%).  The average length of stay (ALOS) for this group of women has fallen by 1.4 days (NRMGP ALOS 2.00 days, non-Ngarrama A&TSI ALOS 3.4 days). 93% of NRMGP women have their NRMGP midwife attend them in labour.

Biography:

Terri Sullivan is a staff nurse in the emergency department at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Since graduating from Castleton State College in Castleton, Vermont she has been a nurse for over 25 years including 15 in various intensive care units. A certified emergency nurse since 2007, she has served on several state and national committees with the Emergency Nurses Association and remains active in the Metro Atlanta chapter. She is currently continuing her education with Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Her interest in domestic violence began upon learning of an assualted pregnant patient who had been seen many times prior at the facility she worked at who had been thought of as a "frequent flier." The situation left her committed to preventing something like this from happening again. She has sought experts in the field to learn from and has published her findings in the November 2015 Journal of Emergency Nursing. 

Abstract:

Domestic violence screening is a required element of emergency nursing care. Research has been conducted revealing that only 15% of patients cared for in the emergency departments are actually screened for this violence by nurses. The studied nurses identify patient presentation as a determining factor of whether or not screening will be completed and site time constraints and privacy issues as barriers to completion Opportunities exist to save lives by screening all patients for potential domestic abuse. There is no typical victim, and many will be seen multiple times before domestic abuse is unveiled. It is important for providers to know how to assess for violence and what to do if it is disclosed.

Biography:

Mona Ahlberg has been working as an intensive care nurse for five years and has published one paper in a reputed journal.

Abstract:

Partners have a burdensome time during and after a partners' intensive care period. They may appear to be coping well outwardly but inside feel vulnerable and lost. Evaluated interventions for partners are limited. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of participating in group- communication with other partners of former intensive care patients. The study has a descriptive intervention based design where group-communication for partners of former, surviving ICU-patients, was evaluated. Two group-communication sessions was held the partners afterwards wrote, in a notebook, about their feelings of participating in group-communications. To deepen the understanding of the impact of the sessions six of the partners were interviewed. Three categories were identified: 1) Emotional impact, the partners felt togetherness and experienced worries and gratitude, 2) Confirmation, consciousness through insight and reflection, 3) Partners of an intensive care patient are on a journey, constantly trying to adapt to the new situation and find new strategies to ever changing circumstances. Group-communications contributed to togetherness and confirmation. To share experiences with others is one way for partners to be able to move forward in life. Relevance to clinical practice: Group-communication with other patients' partners eases the process of going through the burden of being a partner to an intensive care patient. Group-communications needs to be further developed and evaluated, to obtain consensus and evidence for the best practice. 

Biography:

Anita Hunter completed her PhD from University of Connecticut in 1994. She has been involved in global health for over 20 years in Africa, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Belfast, and Taiwan. She is a full professor and Associate Director of Nursing Programs at WSU-Vancouver Campus; as well as the Medical Director for the Holy Innocents Children’s Hospital Uganda Charitable Foundation. She has published more than 35 papers in reputed journals and over 50 professional presentations on her research across the globe. 

Abstract:

Problem: Research has found that heavy metal ingestion through drinking and/or cooking with water contaminated by such elements as lead, arsenic, fluoride, selenium, cadmium, and others cause significant health problems such as cancers, cardiovascular problems, neurological damage, pulmonary, and other organ deficits in women of child-bearing age as the elements cross the placental barrier and affect fetal development; as well as in the maturing child who often incurs developmental problems and cognitive deficits.

Research question: What is the relationship between malnutrition and excretion of heavy metals in the urine on the child-bearing health of women, the physical health and developmental achievements of their children ages birth through age 12 in Uganda?

Methods: Sample size: women N=200; children birth-age 12 N=200; villages where research conducted: N=5 (3 supplied by government water sources; 2 obtained water from ground sources)

Preliminary findings: Government supplied water was evaluated by the water quality experts on the team and found to be safe from bacteria and heavy metals; water from the ground sources found to be highly contaminated by bacteria and toxic levels of heavy metals-fluoride, lead, arsenic. Participants consuming water from the ground sources were found to have significantly more pregnancy-related problems, fetal deaths, premature births, and children with developmental delays than women and children using the government water source. Final statistical analysis is still in progress.

Conclusions: Preliminary findings support current research on the effect of heavy metals on the health and well-being of child-bearing women and their children. In order for the governments of developing nations to take action on supplying clean, safe water to their constituents, hard data is essential for them to see the extent of the effects. This research is ongoing.