The theme for the congress was ‘Perioperative Care: On the shores of Excellence’

It was opened by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese. This was indeed a great honor for EORNA. The President stated that the Congress was a ‘vital conduit through which new ideas could be discussed, critiqued, disseminated, tried and tested.’ Praising EORNA she said that the association had been a key influencing voice in perioperative care and was instrumental in breaking down barriers so that information could be exchanged.

The congress which was hosted by the Irish Nurses Organisation was the largest ever professional gathering of nurses in Ireland.

A total of 2491 people attended the congress from 46 countries making this congress the largest to date.

The Scientific Program of EORNAC 2006 went according to schedule with three parallel sessions running on topics ranging from risk management and the needs of parents to discussions centered on the complexity of the nurse’s role and what the future holds for the profession.
There were 50 oral presentations and 31 poster presentations
The best speaker of EORNAC 2006 was Brita Pasila from Finland for her paper on the quality of perioperative care.
The best poster presenter of EORNAC 2006 was Dr. Marilyn Richardson –Tench from Australia for her presentation on the role of Nurse Practitioner in perioperative nursing in Australia.

A special session was dedicated to the Klinidrape EORNA Perioperative Nursing Foundation. The winner was Katherine Tierney, Ireland, who presented her research findings on- Peri-Operative Nurses Experiences of Cadaveric Organ Donation-: A Phenomenological Study.

An impressive exhibition took place parallel to the scientific programme with a total of 75 companies/ associations taking part. This was the largest ever exhibition at an EORNA congress. Six companies held satellite symposia or industry workshops over the four days. EORNA recognizes the input of industry into the congress and the education of operating department nurses.

Delegates were also offered visits to Dublin hospitals and this proved to be a very popular option for all who chose to go.

No congress would be complete without its social occasions and EORNAC’s opening ceremony featured a flag ceremony with flag bearers wearing their national costumes from every EORNA member country. Former board member, Ireland, Maureen Flynn, keynote speaker, gave an inspiring talk on the art of perioperative nursing. Maureen took the unusual approach of examining works of art representing the intangible art of perioperative nursing. Then followed a performance by Anuna and a reception which was followed by a ceili – traditional Irish dancing.
Industry hosted several dinners on Friday night which was followed on Saturday evening with the formal Gala dinner. Sunday brought us to the final day of congress and a closing ceremony to be remembered. The delegates were treated to Irish music played by the Artane Band.
Another former EORNA board member gave the closing keynote address.
Marianne Pitkajarvi, Finland, presented to us a speech in the form of a letter from a patient to a perioperative nurse. Whilst this speech was at times very funny it certainly sent a message and reminder to all perioperative nurses as to what our role is in patient care.

Delegates left Ireland after four days of education, fun and full of memories. Many made promises to reunite in Denmark for the 5th congress of EORNA.

The EORNA board look forward to seeing you there!