EAUN extends international and professional friendship at conferences worldwide
It is a central EAUN aim to foster the highest standards of urological nursing care throughout Europe and to facilitate the continued development of urological nursing in all its aspects. We acknowledge that the EAUN can learn a lot from the national urological nursing associations. Therefore, representatives from each urological nursing association in Europe are invited to a joint meeting, on the occasion of the annual EAU and EAUN meeting, to share knowledge and experiences in urological nursing.
EAUN Chair Susanne Vahr Lauridsen (DK) and former EAUN Chair Bente Thoft Jensen (DK) at the SUNA conference in San Diego (US)
Danish urological nursing conference
In 2018, EAUN representatives also visited several national conferences to further explore potential areas of collaboration. The first stop was the Danish national urological nursing conference (FSUIS) held in September 2018. Nurses taking care of patients with urological disorders in hospitals and home care participated. The programme addressed several interesting topics. In particular, the session addressing urinary tract infections (UTI) and indwelling catheters from the perspective of a urologist, a microbiologist, a general practitioner and a nurse showed how dedicated the participants were to learn about evidence-based nursing interventions regarding prevention of infections. Take-home messages were:
• Educate everyone who takes care of a patient with an indwelling catheter to follow guidelines on catheter care
• A dipstick test is worthless to detect UTI in patients with indwelling catheters
• Urine culture should only be performed in patients with symptomatic UTI
• If the catheter has been in situ for more than 7 days, it should be changed before collecting urine for culture
• It is useless to perform urine culture routinely after antibiotic treatment
“…the session addressing urinary tract infections (UTI) and indwelling catheters from the perspective of a urologist, a microbiologist, a general practitioner and a nurse showed how dedicated the participants were…”
Norwegian conference in September
The next stop was the Norwegian Urology Nurses conference (FSU) also held in September, 2018. The Norwegian association was founded as early as 1986 and aims at increasing the professional competences of its members and stimulating professional involvement. To that end, the FSU selects a local committee to plan a conference every year. This way the long distances are overcome as the conference is brought to the nurses in different parts of Norway. Local speakers are chosen and thereby evidence based interventions are connected to local practices, familiar to all participants. This is an excellent way to promote the exchange of experience and good practice between the members. This year the EAUN chair was pleased to receive an invitation to speak about ‘Recommendations for care of an indwelling catheter according to EAUN guidelines’.
SUNA in San Diego
I travelled from the rainy and cold northern Europe to a very sunny and warm San Diego in October, when I was invited as Chair of the EAUN to attend the American Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates conference (SUNA) UroLogic Conference. The SUNA conference started with a wide range of preconference workshops addressing cystoscopy, urodynamics, vulva disorders and women’s sexual health. I participated in the latter and it proved to be interesting workshop, presenting evidence based interventions to female patients with sexual disorders.
BAUN in Bournemouth
The British Association of Urology Nurses (BAUN) holds its annual conference in early winter. This year it was held on England’s south coast at the Bournemouth International Centre on 26 and 27 November 2018. To demonstrate the increasing collaboration between the BAUN and international societies, the EAUN Chair was invited to give the EAUN lecture – which is now part of the BAUN programme. The title of the lecture was ‘Will bladder cancer patients stop smoking in relation to radical cystectomy?’, which sought to outline preliminary results from an ongoing study. Unfortunately, illness prevented me from attending and, on my behalf, the lecture was given by Jerome Marley, former BAUN President and currently a temporary EAUN Board Member. At BAUN, Jerome continued ongoing discussions with BAUN and Andrea Nixon, Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Urology Nurses Society (ANZUNS) with regard to the cooperation on the development of a urological nursing curriculum. More information will be available soon, e.g. at the upcoming EAUN19 Meeting in Barcelona (www.eaun19.org – registration is now open). The EAUN Chair Elect, Paula Allchorne (UK), was also invited and provided a presentation as an inspirational leader in urology. According to the reports the BAUN conference was as exciting as it usually is!
Each new year begins with January, named after Janus who both looked back and forward. Looking forward I know that it will certainly be a pleasure to continue working with all of our urological colleagues across Europe and further afield as we address issues that are common to us all. I am especially excited to continue working with the presidents from FSUIS, Rikke Knudsen, and from FSU, Heidi Nikolaisen, as well as working again with Gwen Hooper from SUNA and Jane Brocksom, the newly elected BAUN President. In the spirit of Janus, it is also very appropriate to send our best wishes to outgoing BAUN President Julia Taylor and sincerely thank her for her enthusiasm and collegiality.
Susanne Vahr Lauridsen, PhD, EAUN Chair, Rigshospitalet, Dept. of Urology, Copenhagen (DK), s.vahr@eaun.org