Introducing Mrs. Rikke Nygaard Knudsen

My name is Mrs. Rikke Nygaard Knudsen (DK), I am 47 years old, and work at Aarhus University Hospital in the Dept. of Urology. After graduating from high school, I worked for 2 years in a nursing home and was motivated to study nursing. In November 2003, I received a BSc in Nursing, and I began my urology nursing career in Dept. of Urology May 2004, and in May 2024 I celebrated my 20 years anniversary.

My motivation as a member of the EAUN board is to contribute to development of urological nursing, share knowledge and experiences, promote the role of the urological nurse in the care and treatment of patients, and influence that we as urology nurses receive both recognition and attention, as our role is essential in the care and treatment of patients. Collaboration across sectors, departments, hospitals, etc. can be challenging and it is important that we as nurses remember the core task, namely the patient. I see EAUN as a crucial, significant and very important organisation in relation to the development of urological nursing, including ensuring evidence-based guidelines, a network for urological nurses, updating knowledge, developing nursing and ensuring good and safe treatment for urological patients.

Since 2012, I have been a member of the board for the Danish National Society for Urology Nurses (FSUIS), and since 2014 I have been chair of the board. Throughout my time as chair, I have worked on the development of urological nursing but also worked to create safe transitions for the patient between hospital and home care. My experience of being a member of the board for a national society for more than 12 years brings me some experience and knowledge that I hopefully can incorporate as a member of the EAUN Board.

In 2022, I completed my master’s degree in nursing by conducting a study titled “Method for collecting a urine sample – A Quasi-experimental study of nursing staff adherence to guidelines”, where I examined nursing staff’s adherence to guidelines before and after implementation of an educational module on collecting urine samples in patients with a catheter-related urinary tract infection. The study showed that nursing staff are not always familiar with guidelines, and education and awareness can lead to increased adherence to guidelines. Adherence to guidelines is one of my areas of interest, as there are many evidence-based guidelines that can help us as nurses provide better, safer and evidence-based nursing care to our patients. The EAUN has developed a wide range of guidelines, and as a board member of the EAUN I will work to ensure that more nurses become aware of these guidelines.

In addition to my work in the Dept. of Urology, I have been employed as a lecturer at the Emergency Education Programme, Central Denmark Region since 2014. My main interest in urology nursing is acute urologic presentations, including how we ensure correct treatment of patients with, for example, urosepsis, haematuria, kidney stones, testicular torsion, urinary tract infections, kidney trauma, dysfunctional catheters, urinary retention etc. This area of ​​urology has at times been an underrepresented area, and I hope I can contribute to making this important core area visible, by update and developing guidelines, sharing knowledge and experience and thus ensuring good and sufficient care for this patient group.

I am thrilled to have the opportunity to represent the Nordic countries on the EAUN Board and look forward to seeing you at the annual EAUN Meeting in Madrid.