Nursing in Motion
A video session with a difference

Some good things need to be re-invented for it to remain current, dynamic and relevant.

This year’s EAUN 2016 Munich video session was indeed a video session with a difference. In the past, we provided a small window for nurses to look onto a urologist’s work not normally accessible to many. This time round, we opened a door for nurses to share their experience and particular competencies gained with other fellow nurses.

Since this was the first video session organised at a relatively short notice, the EAUN Board accepted some concessions in the submission process. Presenters were allowed to present and narrate more than one video submission. Furthermore, up to two video submissions with the same subject matter would be accepted provided they gave a different perspective to the topic. Lastly, besides videos one could also submit a collection of photos put together to present a particular experience. Due to time constraints, we chose the following four presentations.

We kicked off the session with a nursing recruitment video put together by the Department of Urology at the University Hospital Berne in Switzerland. Since nursing recruitment is a world-wide issue, we saw it fit to start with this presentation to provide an example of how this issue can be addressed. This well prepared video was presented by D. Kisslig (Berne) and underscored the projected demand for nursing services in Switzerland which is expected to increase by up to 13% by year 2020. The video covered various nursing perspectives and emphasised the high level of competence and job satisfaction. In its concluding minutes, questions were asked on what recruitment impact data such as this video had since its launch.

The second presentation titled “Robotic surgery and Nurse, a good mix,” inevitably covered a topic that seems to always find its way into any conversation on urology– DaVinci robot. However, instead of looking at the clinician’s perspective and work, we were offered an insight on the role of nursing which is rarely examined. DaVinci surgery is an exercise in combined competencies and nursing is part of this emerging specialised service. The video was well presented by C. Tillier (Amsterdam), a fellow EAUN board member who, incidentally, is not a DaVinci team member. In her own words, she explained that putting this video together exposed her to a specialised nursing perspective and a role that she was not fully aware of. During the open forum, it turned out that some in the audience also shared her observation.

The video showed very clearly the high level of competence and responsibility showed by the DaVinci nursing team members during a very complex surgery. The video also reflects on the point that nursing is a profession that is able to embrace new technology-driven care and assert its role in new developments. During the discussion, however, many expressed their concern that this development may bring nursing into other areas traditionally held by other healthcare professionals. This notion was
quickly dismissed by Tillier when she pointed out that robotic surgery was science fiction just over a decade ago and basically new opportunities of practice are made accessible for nurses which form an integral part of such combined team approaches. The third submission, also with DaVinci as topic, was also well narrated by B. Keil (Heilbronn) and briefly looked into the history of robotics, describing the various components that make up this system and the nursing role. She also highlighted the issue of competence acquisition that nurses must achieve within such a specialised surgical team. To the trained eye, this video managed to show that although it is the same hardware and techniques employed worldwide, the role of nursing is slightly different from place to place. This testifies that this surgical specialisation is yet to reach a level of harmonised nursing training and that up to now the service provider still determines the parameters of nursing practice and training pathways. It may well be the case that this issue should be addressed on an EU level rather than left to individual institutions.

An enthusiastic debate also followed regarding the benefits of robotic surgery and the discrepancies of patient discharge timeframes reported by hospitals. The last presentation, also by B. Keil, addressed a noble aspect of the nursing profession, regarding knowledge-sharing opportunities particularly with nurses who may not have benefitted from advanced facilities. Keil discussed her experience as part of an International Laparoscopic Course team member who travelled to Khartoum, Sudan in 2015.

The presentation went through the team’s experience in a country that does not have the same high level of facilities and amenities that are common in Europe. During the Q&A, Keil was asked if she had any data to show regarding the impact or
improvements brought about by this knowledge-sharing project. She mentioned that a follow-up visit is being planned to identify if any benefits were gained.

The EAUN certainly looks forward to its annual meeting in London next year for another dynamic video session. As the saying goes- “Trouble shared is trouble halved, joy shared is joy doubled.” What an excellent opportunity it will be to share the joys and challenges experienced by our urological nursing colleagues.

Submit your own video

The EAUN17 meeting in London also features a video session “Nursing in motion’. Instructions for video submission can be found on the meeting website, www.eaun17.org. It starts with submitting an abstract on the content of your video (preferably together with an upload of the (preliminary) video) before the deadline of 1 December 2016. Should the video take more time to prepare, then it can be submitted later in time if agreed with the EAUN Office. For all questions concerning video submission please send an e-mail to eaun@uroweb.org.

Author: Simon Borg, EAUN Board Member, Mater Dei Hospital, Inpatients Theatre, Msida (MT), s.borg@eaun.org