ONS Connect - November 2008 - (Page 33)

WOrKINGFOrYOU ONS Travels Around the World in Less Than 80 Days [By Brenda nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN, ONS President] Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN I was impressed with what people are doing in their countries to prevent and manage cancer with little resources. n August, back-to-back oncology meetings resulted in ONS Chief Executive Officer Paula Rieger and me literally taking an around-the-world trip. In reflecting on the journey, I have “road warrior” stories as well as rich lessons of how oncology nurses are making a difference in the continuum of cancer services. I also found that the differences we may perceive from foreign cultures are fewer than our similarities and that ONS has much to offer nurses who are developing oncology nursing in their countries. First stop was Singapore and the 15th International Conference on Cancer Nursing, sponsored by the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care (ISNCC). The theme of the conference was Creating Partnerships, Championing Progress, and Celebrating Practice. Nurses from developed and developing nations presented on topics from prevention and early detection to end-of-life care. I represented ONS, giving a presentation on our Putting Evidence Into Practice® card development, a poster on the Leadership Development Institute, and an international panel on nursing workforce issues. Several ONS members also gave presentations. One thread among the presentations and discussions during the four days was the amazing results that nurses in developing countries are making with very limited resources. At the same time that nurses are managing people’s conditions with what is available, they also are advocating for changes in policy. The second stop was Geneva and the International Union Against Cancer I (UICC) World Congress. Its theme was Toward True Cancer Control, and the conference had a strong public health focus. This meeting had a relatively small nursing presence, although years ago it had a nursing track. ONS did support a session on evidence-based symptom management this year, with ONS members Jeannine Brant, MS, APRN, AOCN ®, Pamela Hallquist Viale, RN, MS, CS, ANP, AOCNP®, and Kris LeFebvre, MSN, RN, AOCN®, as faculty. As with ISNCC, I was impressed with what people are doing in their countries to prevent and manage cancer with little resources. A statistic that was quoted often is that cancer kills more people in developing countries than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined, but that it is the infectious diseases that have the most attention. The World Health Organization recently completed excellent resources for countries to develop cancer control programs. To raise the awareness of cancer worldwide, UICC unveiled the 2008 World Cancer Declaration (www.uicc .org/wcd), which ONS has signed on to. In many developing countries, tobacco cessation is a major focus because tobacco companies have aggressively marketed cigarettes. Interestingly and luckily, smoking by women is not socially acceptable in many countries, but the incidence is high among men. I’d summarize this experience as two and a half weeks around the world, a camera filled with pictures, an intense course in global health care, and pride in how ONS and its members are supporting the development of our specialty worldwide. ✱ November 2008 ONS CONNECT 33 http://www.uicc.org/wcd http://www.uicc.org/wcd

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ONS Connect - November 2008 Contents Editor's Note Just In Lean on Me You Tell Us A Year in the Life-- Month Eleven Put Evidence Into Practice to Manage Caregiver Strain and Burden Web Connect Capitol Connection Caregiver Care New Technique Monitors Patients with NSCLC Calendar of Events Working for You Staying on Top

ONS Connect - November 2008

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