4th EAUN workshop at EUSC 2018 in Dubai

The 7th Emirates International Urological Conference & 15th Annual Arab Association of Urology Conference was held in Dubai, November 2018. The conference was attended by participants from the Arab nations, with the nurses’ workshop attracting 34 nurses from the Philippines, China and the United Arab Emirates who practise locally.

By the time Stefano Terzoni and I arrived in Dubai, the conference was in full swing, having been officially opened by Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Finance and President of the Dubai Health Authority. This was the fourth time that EAUN have been requested to participate and provide a nursing workshop.

The purpose of this workshop was to help with the education and collaboration with our colleagues in the United Arab Emirates. On completion of the workshop, the participants were able to describe the rationale of fluid balance, as well as the EAUN recommendations for catheter management. They will be able to describe the principles of treatment of erectile dysfunction and the nursing interventions in this field. Furthermore, they will be able to handle cystoscopes in a safe way and describe risk situations.

Before the workshop started, Stefano gave an introduction to EAUN. In this short presentation the function and objectives of EAUN were addressed. In brief these are: developing urological nursing in all its aspects; fostering the highest standards of urological nursing care; promoting the exchange of experience and good practice; establishing standards for training and practice for urological nurses; and liaising and collaborating with other organisations in the field of urology. An overview of the educational partnerships and support were expressed. This short presentation ended with an invitation to EAUN annual conference in Barcelona.

“… fluid balance, an often overlooked part of the nurses’ practice, but vitally important to the well being of the patient…”

The workshop provided by my colleague, Stefano, commenced with reminding the participants about the anatomy and physiology of the urinary tract. This interactive session set the tone for the following sessions. It is important to have a timely reminder about the system of the body where we practice nursing. This was followed by an interesting session on fluid balance, which is an often-overlooked part of the nurses’ practice, but which is vitally important to the well being of the patient. Stefano expertly guided the participants through this area and onto the care of the patient with a nephrostomy tube. Utilising a wide range of video clips which supported the practical care of the patient with a nephrostomy tube. The take home messages were to be vigilant when looking after our patients, especially when it comes to monitoring fluid balance and that nephrostomy tube care is to be taken seriously.

The first part of the workshop was rounded off by looking at intermittent selfcatheterisation and indwelling catheters. We were able to show the participants different types of catheters, provided by various company representatives from the conference. Stefano also presented and discussed the EAUN guidelines on this topic.

After a short break, the second part of the workshop started. I opened with a presentation on the safe and effective use of cystoscopes. This presentation was supplemented with a rigid and flexible cystoscope for participants to look at and handle. During this presentation we looked at the history of the cystoscope of Philipp Bozzini’s 1807 Lichtleiter. Originally developed for viewing bullets within wounds. This presentation also focussed on the handling of the cystoscope, with video presentations of how to set up and use the cystoscope. The participants were also informed of how to limit the damage when using cystoscopes. This was further highlighted in the next presentation from Cherry Banaynal, a locally based nurse. Cherry discussed how to disinfect cystoscopes between patients and reinforced the handling of the items. This practical session was well received and useful for the participants. The take home messages from this workshop were that when handled safely and effectively, the cystoscope is a safe procedure and has many diagnostic and therapeutic uses.

The final part of the workshop concentrated on novel treatments for erectile dysfunction. This lively and fun presentation engendered discussion from the participants which was humorous at times. The presentation was thorough in looking at what is erectile dysfunction and the potential causes. We then discussed current treatment options ending with a look at the novel treatment of penile low intensity shockwave treatment.

The presentation ended with discussing patient concerns, awareness and how we, as nurses, may help with these. My session ended with a practical demonstration of the penile low intensity shockwave treatment machines given by locally based nurse, Abigail Rome.

Jason Alcorn, FHEA, DN, MSc, BSc, Dip Urol Care, RN – Adult, Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust, Dept. of Urology, Wakefield (UK), j.alcorn@eaun.org

Stefano Terzoni, RN, PhD, San Paolo Hospital, Bachelor School of Nursing, Milan (IT), s.terzoni@eaun.org