Biography:

Christiana Nicolaou joined the Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology in 2007 as Senior Lecturer. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Nursing (since 2011), elected member of the CUT Senate and elected member of the Council of the Department of Nursing (CUT). She worked as Staff Nurse in Pediatric Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Archbishop Makarios Hospital, Nicosia, 1987 - 1994) and in a Gynecological and Midwifery Clinic, Nicosia (1986-1987). She has received her Diploma in General Nursing from School of Nursing, Cyprus (1985), a BSc (Honors) in Professional Studies (Nurse Education) from Anglia Polytechnic University, UK (1997), a Certificate in Teaching and Learning Methodology (Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, 2001) and her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Cyprus University of Technology (2015). Her area of clinical practice and research is pediatric nursing care and social epidemiology.

Abstract:

Studies among parents of children with cancer have focused on anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress, and less so on overall measures, such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Biography:

Christiana Nicolaou joined the Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology in 2007 as Senior Lecturer. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Nursing (since 2011), elected member of the CUT Senate and elected member of the Council of the Department of Nursing (CUT). She worked as Staff Nurse in Pediatric Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Archbishop Makarios Hospital, Nicosia, 1987 - 1994) and in a Gynecological and Midwifery Clinic, Nicosia (1986-1987). She has received her Diploma in General Nursing from School of Nursing, Cyprus (1985), a BSc (Honors) in Professional Studies (Nurse Education) from Anglia Polytechnic University, UK (1997), a Certificate in Teaching and Learning Methodology (Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, 2001) and her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Cyprus University of Technology (2015). Her area of clinical practice and research is pediatric nursing care and social epidemiology.

Abstract:

Studies among parents of children with cancer have focused on anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress, and less so on overall measures, such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Biography:

Christiana Nicolaou joined the Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology in 2007 as Senior Lecturer. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Nursing (since 2011), elected member of the CUT Senate and elected member of the Council of the Department of Nursing (CUT). She worked as Staff Nurse in Pediatric Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Archbishop Makarios Hospital, Nicosia, 1987 - 1994) and in a Gynecological and Midwifery Clinic, Nicosia (1986-1987). She has received her Diploma in General Nursing from School of Nursing, Cyprus (1985), a BSc (Honors) in Professional Studies (Nurse Education) from Anglia Polytechnic University, UK (1997), a Certificate in Teaching and Learning Methodology (Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, 2001) and her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Cyprus University of Technology (2015). Her area of clinical practice and research is pediatric nursing care and social epidemiology.

Abstract:

Studies among parents of children with cancer have focused on anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress, and less so on overall measures, such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Biography:

Christiana Nicolaou joined the Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology in 2007 as Senior Lecturer. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Nursing (since 2011), elected member of the CUT Senate and elected member of the Council of the Department of Nursing (CUT). She worked as Staff Nurse in Pediatric Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Archbishop Makarios Hospital, Nicosia, 1987 - 1994) and in a Gynecological and Midwifery Clinic, Nicosia (1986-1987). She has received her Diploma in General Nursing from School of Nursing, Cyprus (1985), a BSc (Honors) in Professional Studies (Nurse Education) from Anglia Polytechnic University, UK (1997), a Certificate in Teaching and Learning Methodology (Pedagogical Institute of Cyprus, 2001) and her PhD in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Cyprus University of Technology (2015). Her area of clinical practice and research is pediatric nursing care and social epidemiology.

Abstract:

Studies among parents of children with cancer have focused on anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress, and less so on overall measures, such as health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

Biography:

Abed N Azab has completed his Bachelor in Nursing degree and PhD in Pharmacology in Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel). His PhD thesis was focused on the study of anti-inflammatory drugs. As a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Wayne State University (Michigan), he investigated the therapeutic mechanisms of mood-stabilizing drugs. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences in Ben-Gurion University. The major research projects in his lab are: Studying the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood disorders; searching for novel therapeutic strategies for mood disorders and; issues in pharmacology that are related to nursing practice.

Abstract:

Tonsillectomy is a surgical procedure in which the tonsils are partially or totally removed. Hospital length of stay (HLOS) is an important predictor of resource utilization.

Biography:

Nancy A is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner at the NorthShore University HealthSystem and a Senior Clinician Researcher at the Pritzker School of Medicine, University of Chicago. She received a BSN from Loyola University, an MS in Nursing Administration from Aurora University, an MSN in the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner specialty and also a PhD from Rush University, Chicago IL. Her dissertation introduced the concept of oropharyngeal administration of colostrum into the medical literature, and she is currently leading a multi-center RCT to investigate the immune effects and clinical outcomes of extremely premature infants who receive the OPT-MOM intervention.

Abstract:

Extremely premature infants are born before the last trimester of pregnancy and experience an abrupt cessation of amniotic fluid exposure. Their oropharynx is no longer bathed with protective biofactors, which stimulate the immune system and promote intestinal maturation. Many of these biofactors are highly concentrated in the milk (especially colostrum) expressed by women who deliver extremely premature infants; which suggest an important biological function for facilitating extra-uterine transition. Unfortunately, clinical instability precludes enteral feeding for extremely premature infants in the first days of life. The post-birth fasting leads to intestinal atrophy and abnormal intestinal microbiota which contribute to the pathogenesis of infection.  Once started, enteral feeds of mother’s milk are administered via a nasogastric tube, which bypasses the infant’s oropharynx. Oropharyngeal exposure to protective (milk) biofactors does not occur until the infant begins per oral feeds; typically at 32 weeks corrected gestational age. Thus, post-birth oropharyngeal exposure to protective biofactors is delayed for up to 10 weeks for the smallest extremely premature infants; born as early as 22/23 weeks gestation. This deficit has never been addressed in neonatology and may be contributing substantially to prematurity-associated infectious morbidities, including late-onset sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Oropharyngeal therapy with mother’s own milk (OPT-MOM) can serve as an easy, inexpensive oral immune therapy to mimic the protective effects of amniotic fluid exposure for extremely premature infants until per oral feedings can be safely introduced. Current evidence will be presented. Clinical implications and future directions for multidisciplinary research will be discussed.

Biography:

Fatima Alzahra Abdul Rahman M has recently had her PhD in Pediatric and Child Health Nursing. Her expertise is in teaching and passion is in improving the health and wellbeing of children specially sicklers. She is a member in Sudan Sickle Cell Anemia center and has attended many training workshops on care and management of sickle cell anemia and integrating palliative care with SCA for nurses and community. She had teaching experience in education institutes and hospitals.

Abstract:

Statement of the Problem: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is one of the commonest devastating neglected disorders in Sudan particularly in western region in North Darfur State. Most SCA patients are from IDP camps, nomadic tribes with low socioeconomic status and have no real background about the disease. No dedicated center for SCA to provide care for those patients who pose a real financial, physical, psychological burden for affected children and their families.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of an innovative participatory health education program about SCA to augment knowledge, attitude, and practices of mothers of the affected children.

Methodology: A quasi experimental pretest-posttest design was conducted in El Fasher City and three (IDPs) camps. 127 mothers were consecutively selected from El Fasher Hospital general pediatric referral clinic over four months period. Fifteen mother and community outreach members from the same community were trained as peer educators to conduct the health education on SCA for the participants through home visits and community outreach group sessions using simple educational materials prepared for the study. Semi-structured questionnaire used before and after the intervention and six months following the program intervention to assess the knowledge, attitude, and care practices of participants. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20.

Findings: A statistically significant improvement was found in knowledge, attitude and care practices of caregivers about the disease after the program intervention. Before the intervention, the mean hospitalization rate was 2.3 times in 6 months, where after 6 month from the intervention reduced to 1.8 times.

Recommendations: The use of peer educators from the local community could be an effective approach for increasing knowledge, improving attitudes and practice of care towards SCA.

Biography:

Ioanna Menikou is a PhD candidate at Cyprus University of Technology, School of Nursing. She has completed a two-year Postgraduate course on Thearpeutic Play Skills from The Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy in collaboration with Leeds Beckett University and accredited by Play Therapy UK and Play Thearpy International.

Abstract:

NDPT is a psychotherapy approach used in children. It is based on the fact that play is the natural means that children use to explore and understand the world, express their thoughts and feelings, and learn self-mastery. NDPT has been developed by Virginia Axline, who was influenced by the person-centered, non-directive approach of Carl Rogers. In our knowledge, this is the first review in the field of NDPT on children with a medical condition.The aim of the review was to identify research evidence on NDPT as an intervention on children with any medical condition. The systematic literature search of databases such as CINAHL Plus, AMED, EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, ProQuest Central, PsycInfo, and SCOPUS revealded six studies meeting the eligibility criteria. Despite the fact that there is enough evidence on the effectiveness of NDPT on children with mental, behavioral, or academic problems, there is a paucity of evidence examining the effectiveness of NDPT on children in the medical context. However, a thematic analysis demonstrated a positive effect of NDPT on children with a medical condition on four aspects: overall adjustment, illness-related adjustment, anxiety levels, and play behaviors. The findings of the review can be used to inform programs, procedures, and clinical practice development in pediatric population in order to provide integrated and child-centered care with an age-appropriate intervention to children. Research implications are also discussed.