The “Directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border health care” was adopted to facilitate access to safe and high-quality cross-border healthcare and to promote cooperation between Member States on healthcare. The Directive respects the freedom of Member States on types and delivery of healthcare and choices on healthcare systems.
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That is why we ask you, as a representative of patients, for your knowledge and expertise and to help us with our recommendations on implementing NCPs over Europe.

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Launch of IRCAD's brand-new Journal customized for iPads only. A big step in technology to push education forward.

IRCAD shapes up for a revolution in the learning experience creating a vibrant multimedia iPad journal in synch with cutting-edge technologies for continuing medical education.

A new title, a new look, a new quarterly format—and, we hope, the best of the IRCAD heritage: with this inaugural issue, the editorial team launches a journal with a history and profile unique in the discipline.

In this issue, we offer 14 original articles, including operative techniques, clinical cases, a focus on new technologies, and a cultural escape, marking out some of the directions in which we seek to move.

Connect here !

WHO has made Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) an organization-wide priority and the focus of World Health Day 2011, which is being celebrated today at WHO headquarters in Geneva and in many regions and countries around the world. WHO Patient Safety is actively participating in WHD 2011.

As you are certainly aware, many infections can no longer be treated effectively with common anti-infective drugs. Resistance poses a growing threat to the treatment and control of infectious diseases, ranging from those that have long been endemic in human populations - malaria, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections - to more recent pandemics such as the one due to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or the influenza virus (A H1N1 2009). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens the control of several other community-acquired infections. An alarming proportion of health care-associated infections (HAI) are also caused by resistant pathogens.

The emergence and rapid spread of bacteria resistant to standard treatments within communities and hospitals necessitates a number of immediate actions, to curb the trend. There is also an increasing demand from patient advocates, the media and politicians to address the problem of antimicrobial resistance in a coordinated and systematic way, in addition to the urgent need expressed by scientific communities and clinicians managing patients.
With the aim of stimulating nationally coordinated actions, a process of international consultations and discussions was initiated by WHO Patient Safety to identify interventions that could serve as examples to others.

These are being put together in a reference book to be released later in 2011. The attached flyer gives some information about the forthcoming book as part of the WHD event:

Combating Antimicrobial Resistance:
Experiences from the Field
A reference book describing the need for and examples of successful interventions.
To be released later in 2011

To help national policy-makers address antimicrobial resistance, WHO Patient Safety will release, later in 2011, a book entitled 'Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: Experiences from the Field'. The book builds and expands on the six points highlighted in the World Health Day 2011 policy package to tackle the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. It provides an analysis of the need for and examples of successful interventions to reduce antimicrobial resistance across WHO Member States. It is the result of wide international expert consultations organized by WHO, supported by literature reviews and experiences of groups involved in addressing AMR at the national and international levels.
The strategy to better contain anti-infective drug resistance requires several interventions, including more prudent use of antibiotics in human and animal medicine, as well as in animal husbandry/agriculture; incentives to support research and development, both for new anti-infective drugs and for vaccines; and additional measures to prevent the spread of drug-resistant organisms, including stronger surveillance. These measures apply to both developed and developing countries. Identifying tested interventions and stakeholders' responsibilities will facilitate the development of country level intervention strategies to combat the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance.

In addition to calling for nationally coordinated intersectoral and multidisciplinary actions, the book Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: Experiences from the Field lists interventions and provides an overview of experiences associated with implementing these interventions, in five different domains:
• surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance
• rational antimicrobial use and regulations
• antimicrobial use in animal husbandry
• infection prevention and control in health-care facilities
• enabling innovations to combat AMR.

The book explains the problem in each specific domain, lists tested interventions that are being promoted and implemented in some countries and provides specific examples of experiences with interventions.

An exceptional academic programme has been lined up for the SATS 2011 Congress to be held at The Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg, outside Johannesburg, from 10 to 13 May.

In addition to a host of local speakers and peri-operative practitioners, doctors and patient advocates, the programme boasts representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO); the International Federation of Peri-Operative Nurses (IFPN); The Friends of Africa; and the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) in the UK. In addition, the congress co-incides with the annual international meeting held by the IFPN.

Dr Joyce Hightower, a US physician trained in family medicine with extensive medical, administrative, educational and practical experience in Africa, is the project manager for WHO African Partnerships for Patient Safety (APPS). She will present a clear look at the goals, activities and experiences of The WHO Patient Safety: African Partnerships for Patient, with the inclusion of The Safe Surgery Check List as one of the programme's 12 areas of action in the initial six countries since its launch.

The IFPN Panel Discussion – under the guidance of moderator MaryjoSteiert and entitled How Safe Is Your Service? – will feature a number of illustrious names including:

• Leigh Anderson, chair Peri-operative Nurses College (PNC) in New Zealand, and whose expertise involves Staffing Levels and Education: A Safety view from New Zealand
• Caroline Higgins, President of European Operating Room Nurses Association (EORNA) whose presentation focus will be on Teamwork for Safety: Perspectives from Ireland
• Tracy Coates,President-Elect Association of Peri-operative Practitioners (AfPP) who will discuss Learning from Adverse Events in the UK: A Clinicians Perspective
• Anne-Marie Hearlehey, President-Elect of the American peri-oerative Nurses Association (AORN), will concentrate on Scheduling for Safety: Approaches in the USA
• Esmarié Cronjé, President of The National Executive Board of SATS and a part-time lecturer at the School of Nursing of the University of the Free State whose presentation will cover A Check List For Receiving A Patient: Swab And Instrument Control To Ensure Excellence And Safe Care – A South African Perspective

Open attached file and read more ...

Can you afford not to be there?

For more information on the SATS 2011 Congress, please call Congress Services on 051 436 8145 or email them on kongres@internext.co.za

Yaz Linked to Gallbladder Damage, Woman Files Lawsuit
February 23, 2011, 12:02 pm
According to the Southeast Texas Record, yet another Yaz lawsuit has been filed against Bayer Corporation, the manufacturer of the popular birth control medication, after Lana Speck of Texas experienced stomach pain that resulted in the removal of her gallbladder following use of the medication.
Yaz has repeatedly been linked to a slew of dangerous adverse reactions ranging from cardiovascular side effects including stroke and heart attack to serious gallbladder complications.
Speck filed the latest lawsuit against Bayer Corporation on January 31 in Galveston County, Texas. Her lawsuit alleges that Bayer and other companies failed to warn patients and doctors of the dangers associated with Yaz and Yasmin birth control, despite the company's knowledge of the risks.
Speck initially experienced severe abdominal pain and underwent surgery to remove her gallbladder in 2006.
According to Speck's lawsuit, after her gallbladder was removed, she "was in constant severe chest and upper abdominal pain as a result of her removed gallbladder." The lawsuit also notes that she experienced repeated issues with her digestion, including "diarrhea, indigestion and crippling abdominal pain."

Medical manufacturers are eager to obtain feedback on the wants, needs, and/or current issues with medical packaging facing nurses and hospital staff. Your participation in the survey will help to ensure the proper information is conveyed to the manufacturers. The survey consists of 30 multiple choice questions and a section for open feedback. Please allow a minimum of 25 minutes to complete the survey. You could WIN $200 for completing the survey!!
In an effort to ensure that only accurate and valid data is collected, the responses to this survey will remain anonymous. The raw data collected will only be viewed by limited members within IoPP, who are conducting the survey and analyzing the results.
To complete survey, click here

The ISORNA had a spring meeting in 21th of April 2010, the main topic on this meeting were private healthcare in Iceland and also promotion of NORNA congress in Iceland May 2011. It was Áshildur Kristjánsdóttir and Helga G. Hallgrímsdóttir last meeting as board members. ISORNA board thanked them both for their contribution of five years as ISORNA board members. Áshildur and Helga were also thanked for their work as EORNA board members and new represent were selected, the new EORNA board member is Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir.
ISORNA had a autumn meeting in November were two theater nurses presented their inspirations of being Red cross theater nurses in Haiti. That presentation was very interesting and showed the great need for this help.
The Icelandic health service has been suffering because of lack of money and the Government has closed several operating theaters, because of that several operating room nurses are unemployed.
University of Iceland started education in theater nursing in collaboration with Landspitali University Hospital. This time thirteen nurses started this education.
Regards
Áshildur and Helga

Marie Wolfe first representative from Ireland on the EORNA Board is resigning her position after three years on the board. The Irish Operating department nurses section members thanked Marie for her contribution to the EORNA board on their behalf at the last meeting.
Elections for the replacement EORNA representative will take place at our AGM in January 2011.
The INMO Operating department nurses section has drawn up a position statement on the ODP (operating Department Practioner) in theatre.
The INMO Operating Department Nurses section is publishing the results of a survey on the implementation of the WHO checklist in Irish Hospitals in the World of Irish Nursing publication.
Irelands INMO Operating Department Nurses Section annual conference April 2nd 2011 “Delivering Quality in Challenging times” will be held in Kilkenny city.
Our chairperson Sandra Morton was invited and attended the Covidien World summit of peri -operative leaders in August.
The health service in Ireland is continuously under scrutiny with regards to budgets and many hospitals had to close theatres and wards over the summer months as part of cost saving measures.
The staff moratorium on recruitment continues in Irish Health service. Staff who retire or go on maternity leave are not being replaced. Frontline services are severely affected by the staffing cuts. Posts to be filled must be sanctioned by the Minister of Finance.
There is a move towards national recruitment for staff nurses to create a national bank of nurses for redeployment to hospitals who gain permission to replace vacant staff nurse posts.
The first winner of the EORNA Klindrape foundation award Liz Adams nee Farrell from Ireland has being appointed to ICN as Consultant in Health Policy.

Liz Waters
Email Liz.waters@hse.ie

During the past year SEORNA has celebrated the 45th Congress for Operating Room Nurses at Arlanda Sky City. Immediately before the Congress the SEORNA local representatives had a one-day seminar with education and discussions. The lecturers in Operating Room Nursing from all Universities and University Colleges were also invited for one-day seminar, they came from the whole country. The theme was “Specialist Nurse Programme, Operating Room Nursing – Now and for the Future” . The presentations were about different kind of clinical learning and pedagogical methods. One seminar in leadership was at the same time and Mary Jo Steiert (AORN) and Jane Reid (AfPP) were invited, they had presentations about leadership and they also joined the discussions with the leaders from some Swedish OR Dept. February 15th Operating Room Nurses in our country celebrated the Perioperative Nursing Day with different kind of arrangements for examples; "Operating Room" - exhibitions in main halls at hospitals; conferences shared with colleagues and a lot more.....

The Committee of Research has been active in research about the operating room nursing and patient safety. The Committee of Quality has been active working with the Swedish OR Nurses Competencies and the regulation of counting which was removed 2009 by National Board of Health and Welfare. We also have a new website. The 6th and 7th of May the 3rd Congress of Hygiene was arranged in the center of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. The theme for the congress was “Infection transmissions and contamination” and it is open to all health care personnel with interest in hygiene issues. At 6th of May SEORNA’s AGM took place which includes election of members of the SEORNA Board. Next event will be Seminars for SEORNA Local Representatives, Lecturers of Universities and University Colleges and Leaders of the OR Dept follow by the 46th Congress in December 1st – 3rd.

Annica Sandelin,
Vice President, SEORNA
Irini Antoniadou,
Board Member, SEORNA
2010-09-08

The final version of the EU Sharps Directive was published on1 June 2010 in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Directive gives legal effect to a framework agreement concluded by the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers' Association (HOSPEEM) and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) through the social dialogue process.

Now that the Directive has been published it will come into legal force on 21 June 2010 and must be implemented within Member States at the latest by 11 May 2013.

Click here to download the Directive as published »