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CONFERENCE REPORT

CONFERENCE REPORT It might be expected that, with harmonization of Europe so much on the agenda, nurses would be seeking ways of collaborating and sharing interests and expertise. While some of the more bureaucratic organizations are still floundering, a relatively new group is well ahead of the game. What unites them is their shared interest and involvement in caring for people with HIV disease. Although the European Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (EANAC) was only formed in 1990,350plus delegates attended their second conference last November. ‘The Challenge of the Nineties’, three packed days of plenary and concurrent sessions, took place in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands. Although an essentially European organization, delegates came from as far afield as Africa and the USA. The rapid changes that have occurred in Eastern Europe over the recent months meant that delegates from Russia, Romania and Poland were able to attend. Virtually every specialism in nursing was represented, reflecting the diversity of those infected with, and affected by, HIV. Speakers from the host nation described the sophisticated system they have devised. Annette Verster, AIDS Coordinator for Amsterdam, explained that health care for people with HIVlAIDS formed part of an integrated whole. Eleven units in the city have been designated ‘centre hospitals’ to build on expertise in patient management. They had received extra funding to carry out the work, and nursing consultants have been appointed to coordinate care and referral, and to train staff. While intensive home-care programmes are in the process of being developed, Ms Verster told the delegates that these were general projects not specifically designed for people with AIDS. Central government had devolved some public-health responsibilities to local level through a series of ‘platforms’ to implement national policies. Policy-making at local level involved different interest groups, particularly in respect of harm-reduction programmes and prevention. A stepby-step approach had been adopted in the targetting of these programmes. This was particularly important in a city like Amsterdam which accounts for 60% of the country’s AIDS diagnoses. From Oslo, Kjell Oie described an innovative approach to harm reduction among drug users, perhaps the people who present the greatest difficulties to outreach workers. Mr Oie, a nurse working with the Oslo AIDS Prevention Programme, explained how they had recruited drug users through an information bus, which also supplied clean needles. Through the scheme, 42 drug users were brought in to devise their own harm-reduction programme using badges and slogans that they produced themselves. One initiative was a course on condom use, successful completion of which resulted in the presentation of a diploma. Once the scheme had finished, some of the drug users continued to work on the information bus, demonstrating that, despite often turbulent and chaotic lifestyles, it was perfectly possible for outreach programme to be effective with this group. Perhaps the most applauded speaker was Christine Zambara, who gave a powerful and moving account of her work in rural Zambia. Here there is no electricity or running water. Being unable to work can result in poverty, even starvation, for there are no social benefits. Even the most basic drugs (by European standards) are in short supply, and the enormous geographical spread of Mrs Zambara’s ‘catchment area’ means that visits are few and far between. For her and her co-workers, the daily round involves advising carers how to cope with a loved one with constant diarrhoea when the only facility for washing sheets is the stream, which also supplies the village drinking water. The team have also had to devise ways in which those too ill to work on the land can sustain themselves and continue to contribute to the family finances. These insights into the dimensions of this awful pandemic are both uniting and humbling. If we in the relative comfort and wealth of the industrialized world can’t get it right, what hope is there for developing countries? Yet many have taken up the challenge and approached it with vigour , devising innovative schemes to meet the needs of their particular populations. For me, the overriding theme to emerge from the conference was that of empowerment. Traditionally, nurses have not always exploited the potential of ‘patient power’, being more socialized into ‘doing for’ rather than facilitating. Certainly among this diverse group things have changed, often quite radically. What they have accepted is that change, whether it be in sexual behaviour or drug use, must come from the individual. What nurses can do is provide the information, materials and expertise to allow people to take responsibility for their own destinies. Charlotte Alderman, RGN, is Feature/AIDS Focus Editor of the magazine Nursing Standard. Further i n f m a t i o n on the European Association of Nurses in AIDS Care can be obtained fim Ian Hicken, EANAC, Woodseats House, 7644 Chesterfield Road, Shefild S8 OSE,UK. EuropeanJournal of Cancer Care 1:4, 1992 33 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png European Journal of Cancer Care Wiley

CONFERENCE REPORT

European Journal of Cancer Care , Volume 1 (4) – Dec 1, 1992

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
0961-5423
eISSN
1365-2354
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2354.1992.tb00131.x
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

It might be expected that, with harmonization of Europe so much on the agenda, nurses would be seeking ways of collaborating and sharing interests and expertise. While some of the more bureaucratic organizations are still floundering, a relatively new group is well ahead of the game. What unites them is their shared interest and involvement in caring for people with HIV disease. Although the European Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (EANAC) was only formed in 1990,350plus delegates attended their second conference last November. ‘The Challenge of the Nineties’, three packed days of plenary and concurrent sessions, took place in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands. Although an essentially European organization, delegates came from as far afield as Africa and the USA. The rapid changes that have occurred in Eastern Europe over the recent months meant that delegates from Russia, Romania and Poland were able to attend. Virtually every specialism in nursing was represented, reflecting the diversity of those infected with, and affected by, HIV. Speakers from the host nation described the sophisticated system they have devised. Annette Verster, AIDS Coordinator for Amsterdam, explained that health care for people with HIVlAIDS formed part of an integrated whole. Eleven units in the city have been designated ‘centre hospitals’ to build on expertise in patient management. They had received extra funding to carry out the work, and nursing consultants have been appointed to coordinate care and referral, and to train staff. While intensive home-care programmes are in the process of being developed, Ms Verster told the delegates that these were general projects not specifically designed for people with AIDS. Central government had devolved some public-health responsibilities to local level through a series of ‘platforms’ to implement national policies. Policy-making at local level involved different interest groups, particularly in respect of harm-reduction programmes and prevention. A stepby-step approach had been adopted in the targetting of these programmes. This was particularly important in a city like Amsterdam which accounts for 60% of the country’s AIDS diagnoses. From Oslo, Kjell Oie described an innovative approach to harm reduction among drug users, perhaps the people who present the greatest difficulties to outreach workers. Mr Oie, a nurse working with the Oslo AIDS Prevention Programme, explained how they had recruited drug users through an information bus, which also supplied clean needles. Through the scheme, 42 drug users were brought in to devise their own harm-reduction programme using badges and slogans that they produced themselves. One initiative was a course on condom use, successful completion of which resulted in the presentation of a diploma. Once the scheme had finished, some of the drug users continued to work on the information bus, demonstrating that, despite often turbulent and chaotic lifestyles, it was perfectly possible for outreach programme to be effective with this group. Perhaps the most applauded speaker was Christine Zambara, who gave a powerful and moving account of her work in rural Zambia. Here there is no electricity or running water. Being unable to work can result in poverty, even starvation, for there are no social benefits. Even the most basic drugs (by European standards) are in short supply, and the enormous geographical spread of Mrs Zambara’s ‘catchment area’ means that visits are few and far between. For her and her co-workers, the daily round involves advising carers how to cope with a loved one with constant diarrhoea when the only facility for washing sheets is the stream, which also supplies the village drinking water. The team have also had to devise ways in which those too ill to work on the land can sustain themselves and continue to contribute to the family finances. These insights into the dimensions of this awful pandemic are both uniting and humbling. If we in the relative comfort and wealth of the industrialized world can’t get it right, what hope is there for developing countries? Yet many have taken up the challenge and approached it with vigour , devising innovative schemes to meet the needs of their particular populations. For me, the overriding theme to emerge from the conference was that of empowerment. Traditionally, nurses have not always exploited the potential of ‘patient power’, being more socialized into ‘doing for’ rather than facilitating. Certainly among this diverse group things have changed, often quite radically. What they have accepted is that change, whether it be in sexual behaviour or drug use, must come from the individual. What nurses can do is provide the information, materials and expertise to allow people to take responsibility for their own destinies. Charlotte Alderman, RGN, is Feature/AIDS Focus Editor of the magazine Nursing Standard. Further i n f m a t i o n on the European Association of Nurses in AIDS Care can be obtained fim Ian Hicken, EANAC, Woodseats House, 7644 Chesterfield Road, Shefild S8 OSE,UK. EuropeanJournal of Cancer Care 1:4, 1992 33

Journal

European Journal of Cancer CareWiley

Published: Dec 1, 1992

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