WFCCN ENews Report

9^th Meeting of the WFCCN, held at the Critical Care World Congress, 28 August – 1 September 2013, Durban South Africa

The Critical Care World Congress, representing the 11^th World Congress of the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine (WFSICCM) and the 9^th World Congress of the World Federation of Critical Care Nurses (WFCCN) was a successful meeting with 24 countries represented for the WFCCN business meeting.  Over 20 nurses presented in the scientific program which included plenary talks, parallel sessions, roundtable discussions and interdisciplinary sessions. The program offered many opportunities for sharing about critical care nursing worldwide including sessions on perspectives of critical care nursing across the globe, advancing nursing education and training, and implications for nursing care for promoting palliative care in the ICU, among other topics.  WFCCN submitted a proposal to WFSICCM for a dedicated nursing seat on the WFSICCM Council, which was accepted and approved at the General Assembly meeting.  This will now enable WFCCN to be actively involved and contribute to the ongoing work of the WFSICCM Council. The Durban World Congress was indeed a productive and memorable event and WFCCN extends a sincere appreciation to the Critical Care Society of Southern Africa and the Nursing Forum for their hospitality, collegiality, and hard work in making the Congress a successful event!

The WFCCN business meeting was held over a 2 day period with a number of significant accomplishments including approval of Cameroon as the 41^st country member representative of WFCCN; review of the WFCCN Constitution; reports of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, CONNECT journal editor; updates on the 4^th WFCCN World Wide Survey of Critical Care Nursing which is currently ongoing; reports of the 10^th WFCCN Congress for 2014 in Antalya Turkey [13-16 November] and the 11^th WFCCN Congress and 12^th WFSICCM Congress, Seoul Korea in 2015 [28 August – 1 September]; installation of WFCCN Ambassador’s Prof Leanne Aitken (Australia) and Esther Wong (Hong Kong); WFCCN Core Council elections; among other business.  Special recognition to Judith Swan (New Zealand) for compiling the business meeting minutes.

The photos above showcase some of the WFCCN country member representatives attending the Durban meeting.

Durban World Congress Nursing Poster Award Winner

Congratulations are extended to Dr Eleni Kletsiou who was co-advised with Assoc. Professor Margarita Giannakopoulou and Professor Elizabeth Papathanassoglou for the study entitled” PAIN INTENSITY AND APOPTOSIS MARKERS IN INTUBATED CRITICAL CARE INDIVIDUALS WITH AND WITHOUT APPARENT TISSUE INJURY: A COMPARATIVE PILOT STUDY" which was judged and voted for the first place award for the nursing poster session for the Durban Critical Care World Congress. The study investigated plasma soluble apoptotic molecules levels in critically ill adults and potential associations with pain ratings. A prospective correlational study with repeated measurements and cross-sectional comparisons was conducted in a convenience sample of intubated critically ill adults with (n₁=40) and without apparent tissue injury (n₂=40). The results of the study demonstrated differences in plasma levels of the transmembrane receptor Fas, together with its protein-binding partner Fas ligand (FasL) as a pain intensity biochemical marker appropriate for objective pain assessment in uncommunicative critically ill adults. The abstract will be published in the upcoming issue of Journal of Critical Care as well as in CONNECT.

A special thank you is extended to Professors Leanne Aitken, Shelley Schmollgruber, Kay Mitchell and Janet Bell who served as poster judges.

Chinese Nursing Delegation

Over 15 nurses from the Chinese Nursing Association attended the Durban Critical Care World Congress to participate in the nursing program and WFCCN business meeting.  A special thanks to Esther Wong (Hong Kong WFCCN Country Member Representative) and Secretariat Belle Rogado (Philippines WFCCN Country Member Representative) for overseeing the contingent’s visit to the WFCCN meeting

Books for Africa Project

WFCCN spearheaded the Books for Africa Project which was held in conjunction with the Durban Critical Care World Congress.  WFCCN Founding President Ged Williams worked to organize the event which resulted in the collection of children’s books from around the world from the Congress participants for schools in Africa.  He also visited the Siyavuna school outside Eshowe, near Durban South Africa, where the books will be sent. Working with Henry Bromelkamp, Ambassador for Books for Africa, WFCCN is continuing the efforts to support Books for Africa by encouraging donations for building a library at the Siyavuna school . Please visit the WFCCN website for further information:http://wfccn.org/2013/08/books-for-africa-at-world-congress

Books For Africa Booth At Durban Congress

Siyavuna school outside Eshowe, NE of Durban where library is planned

WFCCN Country Member Recognition

Chinese Nursing Association – Donation of $1000 at the Durban World Congress, September, 2013

Society of Critical Care Medicine, Nursing Section – Donation of $500 recognized at the Durban World Congress, September, 2013

A special “Thank You” to the above mentioned country members who have provided a voluntary contribution to WFCCN.  As the work of WFCCN is dependent on the support of the country members, contributions are most appreciated.  Country members who would like to pledge a contribution are asked to contact the SecretariatMaria Isabelita (Belle) C. Rogado at [email protected]

 Revised WFCCN website

If you have not yet visited the updated WFCCN website, please do so!  The website (www.wfccn.org) has been significantly updated with new functionality and features.  A special recognition to Gordon Speed (New Zealand Critical Care Nurse’s WFCCN country member representative) for his ongoing work on the website.

Save the Date: 10^th Annual WFCCN Meeting: Antalya Turkey

The Turkish Association of Intensive Care Nurses will host the WFCCN 10^th Congress November 13-16 2014.  Information on abstract submissions and conference planning is forthcoming but be sure to save the date to attend!

World Sepsis Day

Reminder:  Please support World Sepsis Day, September 13, 2013. WFCCN is a founding member of the Global Sepsis Alliance which has initiated World Sepsis Day to promote awareness of sepsis and its impact on critical care patients worldwide.  A special recognition to Leanne Aitken for serving as the WFCCN representative for World Sepsis Day.  Visit the website for further information on how your country organization can promote awareness of World Sepsis Day at : http://www.world-sepsis-day.org/

Feature Country Member Profile:

Name of Organization:        Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses (CACCN)

Vision Statement:                  The Voice for Excellence in Canadian Critical Care Nursing

Date of Incorporation:        1983 - 2013: Celebrating 30 years

Number of Members:           approximately 1200

Number of Chapters:            Twelve (12) from coast to coast

Brief History: CACCN is celebrating our 30th anniversary this year! We look back with pride and forward to celebrating the visionary critical care nurses leaders who were guided by a common dream fro united and strong national voice. CACCN was born of a merger of the National Society of Critical Care Nurses and the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses. This merger marked a turning point in critical care nursing history in Canada enabling nurses to consolidate efforts to work towards a shared vision as on unified body. While the objective and Mission Statement of the Association have evolved over time, the fundamental values and beliefs remain.

Current Initiatives:

• Dynamics of Critical Care Conference 2013

• Position Statement: ongoing development of the following statements:

• CACCN Mentorship Program: development of mentorship program for members including two streams - Preparing to Publish and professional Presentation Skills

• CACCN Merit Award: Development on an award to recognize Canadian Critical Care Units for providing excellent patient care and healthy work environment.

• Association Strategic Planning and Social Media Plan development

Country Member Profiles:  We’d like to highlight your country organization in the next WFCCN E-News! Email WFCCN Secretariat at [email protected]  with your news brief and photo!