Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Margareta Nordin,
New York University, USA
Keynote: World Spine Care: Serving people with spine pain in under served areas. It is not a question of pain but of survival Margareta Nordin, New
Time : 10:00-10:30
Biography:
In 1978, I started the Industrial Occupational Clinic at the Occupational Industrial Orthopaedic Center, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Gothenburg, Sweden in collaboration with Alf Nachemson, M.D., Ph.D. and Gunnar Andersson, M.D., Ph.D. This was the first clinic, research facility, and educational center geared toward prevention of musculoskeletal injuries for industry. Universities in several countries have subsequently adapted the model. In 1983 I started the Occupational and Industrial Orthopaedic Center and Clinic (OIOC) at the Hospital for Joint Diseases, in New York, for the evaluation of occupational and industrial injuries. The Center and Clinic were modeled after the Gothenburg experience, but were adapted to the needs of the New York area. For both the Gothenburg and New York Clinics I had the primary responsibility for setting up the physical facilities, planning research activities and patient care programs, researching and acquiring equipment, planning and implementing the budget, selecting and supervising staff and marketing the services of the Clinic and Center to industry, community and major healthcare providers. During my career I have had the opportunity to serve the following major companies: The Scandinavian Airline System, Volvo, The Boeing Company, Ciba-Geigy, Pan American, United Airlines, TWA, SAAB, HBO, Consolidated Edison, New York City Transit Authority, New York 1 News, United Parcel Service, Amtrak, SONY Music Entertainment, Deutsche Bank, Allergan, JP Morgan, SUVA, US Veteran Administration, US Navy and others. I have also served the following organizations with consultation or research projects: World Health Organization, United Nations Development Fund, Brazil Airforce, Transport Workers Union, Labor International Union of North America, America’s Utility Workers and others. My environment is the interest of work and health and a productive life for all. As part of a team effort at the Occupational and Industrial Orthopaedic Center in New York, I was the project leader of the medical standards project for the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) in New York City. This project included an epidemiological study, a job profile analysis and the production of a physician\'s manual for medical standards. The scope of the project involved 800 employees at the NYCTA and 12 full-time researchers from OIOC at work for the period of one year. In 1990, Dr. William B. Rom and I were awarded a grant of US$ 2.5 million by the National Institute for Safety and Health (NIOSH). The purpose was to set up a Model clinic for musculoskeletal and pulmonary occupational disorders. The funding, which began in 1990, was for five years. I was and am responsible for the management of the Model Clinic, as well as, for the design, implementation and scientific soundness of the research. I was the co-principal investigator of this grant and the principal investigator for occupational musculoskeletal disorders. In 1996, the OIOC team was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders (NIAMS) for US$661,329. The funding was for exploring predictors of disability in individuals with acute low back pain. As the model clinic had grown we could now implement a model for prevention of disability. In 1997-2003 the OIOC -team was again awarded with a grant from the Arthritis Foundation (New York Chapter) (US$300,000) and from the Social Security Administration (US$307,000) in a collaborative effort with the American Institutes of Research. Continuos funding have always been a priority, however I have purposely diversified the funding sources to better serve the industry community. Our funding from grant agencies and industry are today equally important. In 2005-2010 the OIOC-team/ERBI faculty was awarded the National Institute for Occupational and Safety Health (NIOSH) NY NJ Educational and Research Center (ERC) Designation in collaboration with 5 other Universities in the greater Metropolitan Area (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Hunter College School of Health Sciences, New York University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey). Since 1984, I assumed the responsibility as the Director of the Program of Ergonomics and Occupational Biomechanics, New York University, New York, New York. Responsibilities include curriculum development, selecting and supervising faculty, interviewing and screening program applicants, teaching courses, and developing and implementing the program budget. The Program has a student body of about 10 Ph.D. students and about 10 Master of Science students every year. I have a true interest and dedication to education. I have created a multidisciplinary research faculty and multi- disciplinary clinical faculty to meet the increasing demands to prevent disability at work. The occupational environment and non-occupational environment need a multidisciplinary team to better understand ill health and to promote well-being. I retired from my post as Director of the Occupational and Industrial Orthopedic Center, NYU Langone Medical Center in Mars 2012 but maintain my Professor ship at the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, New York University, to be able to spend more time on special projects and World Spine Care as a Vice President.
Abstract:
The Global Burden of Diseases has estimated that musculoskeletal disorders and mental health disorders are the major ailments in coming decades. In musculoskeletal ailments spine disorders will become # 1 and create most of the disability measured in DALY’s in the world. In fact lower back pain results in more disability than any other condition world wide. The mission of Word Spine Care (WSC) (www.worldspinecare.org) a charity, is “to improve lives in underserved communities through sustainable, integrated, evidence based, spine care†around the world. With a net- work of of individuals, clinicians, researchers and other stakeholders the WSC care opened it first clinic in Botswana 2012 in a rural area, followed by Dominican Republic and soon to come in India and other countries. Clinics are opened in collaboration with the community and government or/and with univeristy interested. The clinics are staffed with volunteer clinicians coming from all over the world to enhace lives for people with spine disorders. The WSC also foster education for local care givers in spine care at all levels. In a special project the WSC has started the Global Spine Care Initiative with researchers around the world to come up with a resource and implementation model of evidence based spine care sensistive to cultural and traditional aspects of the communities. To do so stakeholders involved in spine care must understand the impact of spine ailments and the prevention of spine disability, education must be based on evidence and must be taught at all levels.
Keynote Forum
Joseph Tan
McMaster University, Canada
Keynote: Mapping the Critical Skills of Community Nursing on a Global Scale: The Nursing Informatics Competency Challenges & Trends
Time : 9
Biography:
Professor Tan specializes in the innovative design, implementation and diffusion of advancing e-technology to improve health services delivery system efficiencies and effectiveness. Serving as Editor-in-Chief of theInternational Journal of Health Information Systems & Informatics, IGI Global (www.igi-global.com), Professor Tan’s research interests cut across multiple disciplines, with emphasis on the application of strategic e-business and e-health models to improve health systems operational efficiencies, individual or group decision effectiveness, and community health behaviours. He teaches health IT project management and special topics in eHealth. His current research focuses on assessing the impact of decision aids and e-learning mechanisms for promoting healthy lifestyles and healthy aging behaviours for chronically ill individuals, groups and populations.
Abstract:
Today, nurses and community health workers (CHWs) are often regarded asrnglobal citizens and community heroes. In the last few decades, with rapidly agingrnpopulations, major destabilization of global economies as well as ongoingrnenvironmental disasters and other unpredictable events such as the Fukushimarnaccident, global climate change impacts, ongoing terrorist activities and warfare,rnthe need for cost-effective and time-efficient community healthcare servicesrnglobally is overwhelming. In an era of smart applications of cell phonerntechnologies and e-health informatics capabilities, governments of manyrncountries will now be looking at the need for a new generation of well-trained andrnengaged nurses and CHWs with e-health informatics competencies to realize thernongoing maintenance of the health and well being of their citizens via securedrnnetworks and infrastructures.rnNot only will e-health informatics competencies provide a significant advantagernover wasteful, poorly coordinated and expensive conventional medicalrnprocedures, but also hold the potential for leveling the playing fields in terms ofrndelivering care where it may be most critically needed, especially for thernunderserved. Understanding the e-health informatics competency challenges andrntrends is therefore a critical step towards identifying the various roles that couldrnor should be played by nurses and CHWs to aid policymakers, vendors,rnphysicians and other health care professionals and/or researchers, and evenrnpatients in this age of the Internet of Things.rnThis talk overviews the prevailing e-health informatics competency challengesrnand trends for practicing community nursing. Starting with the major referencerndisciplines contributing to the evolution of e-health informatics competencies, therntalk will survey current developments, provide insights on new opportunities andrnongoing challenges arising from use of these newer technologies, including thernneed for securing networks and infrastructures. In contrast to the centuries oldrntraditional practice of conventional medicine, the discussion will offer thernaudience important directions and insights related to the next phase research,rndevelopments and practices of community nursing and trends. Among otherrnthings, key challenges include knowledge to translate lean and technology-basedrnthinking into community healthcare practices, envisioning the power andrnconvenience of an interoperable Information and Communication Technologyrn(ICT) infrastructure for e-health and m-health applications, incorporating therndesign of intelligent and appealing interfaces, deploying emerging m-health &rncloud-based strategy, understanding the influence of social media, and debatingrnon the value of digital alerts, monitoring and patient assisted self-carerninterventions.rnWhile identifying the different e-health informatics competencies, challenges andrntrends needed by new generations of nurses and CHWs, I will also attempt tornprovide critical thoughts and lessons gleaned from a few ongoing studiesrnconducted at McMaster University and elsewhere. For example, we are lookingrnat health informatics competencies for paramedical professionals across allrnCanadian Provinces. Finally, the talk will conclude with the observation thatrnregardless of how e-health and m-health technologies evolve, it will still be limitedrnwithin the confines of regulatory policies, sustainable paradigm changes, thernchallenge of interoperability, standards, privacy, security, socio-political, legalrnand ethical concerns.
Keynote Forum
Colleen Kraft
University of Cincinnati, USA
Keynote: Translating Developmental Science into Healthy Lives: Opportunities in Community Nursing
Time : 10:00-10:30
Biography:
Dr. Kraft is the Medical Director of the Health Network by Cincinnati Children’s, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, and MD degree at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Her pediatric residency training was completed at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals.rnrnDr. Kraft is the co-author of the book Managing Chronic Health Conditions in Child Care and Schools. Her research interests include community-based initiatives to improve child health, innovative health care financing models, and global neonatal mortality reduction. She chairs the National Health in Head Start Advisory Committee at the American Academy of Pediatrics, and is a content expert for Text4Baby.rn
Abstract:
The science of early brain development and the recognition of the effect of social determinants in the life course trajectory of children has revolutionized our understanding of the role of the Family-Centered medical home. This presentation will outline what is behind our understanding of how early childhood medical care should be provided. Discussions on adverse childhood experiences, developmental neuroscience, and translating this science into medical care that empowers parents and caregivers to raise successful children will be highlighted. Changes in the Family-Centered medical home, including community nurses as vital team members, with an emphasis on population health will be discussed.
Keynote Forum
Ijeoma O Ehiemere
University of Nigeria, Nigeria
Keynote: Maternal Health Seeking Behaviour and Pregnancy Outcome in Rural Communities in Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria
Biography:
Ijeoma O. Ehiemere is a Professor of Nursing (Community Health) at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. She is a Fellow of the West African College of Nursing and had previously taught in School of Nursing Bida, Niger state and School of Midwifery Ilorin, Kwara state. She became a Registered Nurse and Midwife in 1975 and 1978 respectively. She holds a B.Sc. (Nursing Education) from the University of Ibadan, M.Sc. (Community Health) from University of Ilorin and Ph.D. from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. At the University of Nigeria, she has devoted many years of teaching and research in Nursing Sciences and Community Health Nursing at all levels. She pioneered, established and coordinates the Community Health Outreach Programme of the Department of Nursing Sciences at the University of Nigeria and has served as Head of Department of Nursing sciences and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Nigeria.. She has been the Departmental postgraduate programme coordinator from 2012 to date. Her research interests include Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) and Care for the elderly. She has authored a book and has published several articles in reputable journals nationally and internationally. She has presented conference papers at different professional fora, enjoys singing, praying and travelling as hobbies and is married with children.
Abstract:
Ante natal clinic attendance by pregnant women and having births attended to by skilled health care providers are still issues of major concern in developing countries including Nigeria. The 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey noted that only 18% of pregnant women had the first antenatal visit in the first trimester of pregnancy while 34% did not receive any antenatal care. The survey also reported a disparity between urban and rural dwellers in ante natal clinic visit in the first trimester of pregnancy (23% versus 15%). Maternal health seeking behavior during pregnancy has been seen as the way mothers take care of their health and that of the unborn child so that both remain healthy throughout pregnancy. The choice of place of antenatal care and delivery to a large extent influences pregnancy outcomes for both mother and child. Maternal health care services utilization and skilled attendance at delivery are essential for the reduction of the high morbidity and mortality rates associated with pregnancy in developing countries.\r\nPurpose: The aim of the study was to assess maternal health seeking behavior and pregnancy outcome in rural communities in Enugu state.\r\nMethods and Materials: Cross sectional descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Validated researcher developed questionnaire and observational guide were the instruments used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential (chi – square) statistics were used to analyze data obtained from the study and level of significance was set at 0.05.\r\nResults:\r\nA good number of the respondents 165 (79.7%) booked for ante natal care during the first trimester of pregnancy. Majority of the respondents 193 (93.2%) attended ante natal care in a health facility and only 7(3.4%) did not attend ante natal clinic in a health facility or visited a traditional birth attendant. However, the study revealed that more respondents, (52.2%) attended secondary health facilities, than the primary health facilities in the communities (35.7%). The findings also showed that out of 207 pregnant women studied, 141 (68%) had a health problem associated with their pregnancy and all of them visited a health facility for their health problems but only 42 (20.3%) visited a primary health facility for health problems associated with pregnancy. The pregnancy outcome for the mother was positive as 172 (83%) of the respondents were strong to take care of their babies after delivery while pregnancy outcome for the baby was also good as 175 (84.5%) of the babies cried vigorously after birth though only one baby did not cry at all. The respondents social demographic characteristic (age and educational level) did not significantly influence their health seeking behavior (p>0.05), However, there was a significant association (p<0.05) between pregnancy outcome for baby and place of ante natal care.\r\nConclusion:\r\nBased on the findings of the study, it was concluded that maternal health seeking behavior in the communities studied was good which resulted in positive pregnancy outcomes for most of the respondents and their babies, although primary health facilities were poorly utilized by the respondents in favour of secondary health facilities. It is therefore recommended that primary health care facilities should be strengthened and emphasized and all barriers to their use removed to make them more accessible to pregnant women.\r\n