International Council of Nurses Regional Conference opens

Geneva, Switzerland, 25 September 2018 - Over 1,100 nurses from 30 countries arrived today in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the inaugural International Council of Nurses (ICN) Regional Conference 2018.

With the theme Nurses: A Voice to Lead - Ensuring Access to Healthcare through Leadership, Innovation and Collaborative Practice, the Regional Conference will take place from 25-27 September 2018, co-hosted by the Emirates Nursing Association and in collaboration with the SEHA International Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health conference.

"This inaugural regional conference has tremendous significance for the region, given that ICN has chosen Abu Dhabi as the next host city for their Global Congress, to be held in 2021," said Annette Kennedy, ICN’s President.

"We are delighted to welcome nurses from across the Gulf Region to share their voices. ICN is pleased to have worked closely with the Emirates Nursing Association and the SEHA International Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health conference to make this ICN regional conference a success!"

The conference will provide a platform to improve patient care, build nursing research and mobilise, promote and raise the profile of the nursing profession across the region. Her Royal Highness Princess Muna Al-Hussein is the Guest of Honour and key speakers include:

• Annette Kennedy, ICN President, will brief participants on ICN Strategic Directions: Regional focus.
• Lord Nigel Crisp, co-Chair of Nursing Now, will speak about the global campaign to aims to raise the status and profile of nursing and how nurses are at the heart of the health team
• Professor Didier Pittet is the Hospital Epidemiologist & Director of the Infection Control Programme and WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety, Geneva, Switzerland. He will address the audience on The Global Dimension of Hand Hygiene Activities for Patient Safety.
• Howard Catton is the Director of Nursing and Health Policy at ICN. He will speak on ICN’s Health Policy: Global Perspectives.
• Kathleen Vollman, a Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist, Educator and Consultant, will speak on Innovative Models of Patient Care and give a workshop on Infection Control and Prevention
• Dr. Arwa Oweis, Regional Adviser for Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Personnel, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) will speak on WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Perspective: Transforming Health Workforce to Support Universal Health Coverage in EMR
• Professor Leanne Aitken, a critical care nurse whois a Professor of Critical Care at City University of London, will speak onTransition from Acute Care to Community Care
• Dr. Naeema Al Gasseer, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Sudan will talk about Universal Health Coverage in all Contexts: Humanitarian to Development
• Andrea Baumann is Associate Vice-President of Global Health, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre in Primary Care and Health Human Resources and Fellow in the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She will speak on Evidence-based Nursing: Transition from Theory to Practice.
• Professor John Gilbert, Emeritus Professor, Founding Director, Founding Principal, College of Health Disciplines, School of Audiology and Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia, Canada, will speak on Inter-professional Education and Collaborative Practice.
• Professor Gavin Leslie, Professor of Critical Care, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine Curtin University, Australia will speak on Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare Informatics and give a workshop on Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.

Concurrent sessions will cover topics such as governance and leadership;clinical outcomes and impact; cost effectiveness; emerging trends in nursing and midwifery education; evidence-based practice; positive practice environment; midwifery and maternal child health; community health; patient safety; cultural diversity in healthcare; work life balance; and health informatics and technology.

ICN is grateful to its Regional Conference sponsors: Amana Healthcare, Abbott, 3M and Emitac. For further information please see the Conference programme and related events on here and follow us on Twitter @ICNurses #ICNconference.