The theme for International Family Day 2012, "Ensuring work family balance", is a key concern for many nurses. Nursing is a profession often chosen for its flexibility and adaptability. However, the downside of this can also be low pay, night shifts, and overtime. ICN believes that nurses must take control of their careers and futures in their quest for self-determination as professionals. Towards that aim, ICN has developed several career guides for nurses which can be accessed here:
With this year’s theme of “promotion of occupational safety and health in a green economy”, the International Day for Health and Safety at Work provides nurses a great opportunity to advocate and promote green initiatives at our places of work. (Read more…)
The health care industry produces more than 2.4 million tons of waste each year and is one of the largest consumers of energy in many communities (Sattler B & Hall K 2007). As with other service industries hospitals occupy large, complex buildings surrounded by concrete and asphalt surfaces; they use high-volume food services, laundry, high-speed transportation, and paper, packaging and disposable supplies (Jameton A & Pierce J 2001).
Nurses have been concerned about the environment since the time of Florence Nightingale who wrote in her Notes on Nursing of the importance of clean air and clean water. Since then, nurses have been involved in promoting healthy environments for health care, including safe waste disposal, efficient energy use and environmentally responsible policies. As patient advocates and a key member of health teams worldwide, nurses are well positioned to advocate for environmentally friendly workplaces.
The International Council of Nurses is a founding member of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The purpose of the Coalition is to promote respect for international humanitarian and human rights laws that relate to the safety and security of health facilities, health workers, ambulances and patients ensuring they are safe and secure during periods of armed conflict or civil violence. Through this effort, the Coalition promotes the effective functioning of health services, the protection of health infrastructure, and the safety of health workers during periods of armed conflict.
The Coalition promotes effective functioning of health services, protection of health infrastructure, and safety of health workers during periods of armed conflict. Its objectives include:
Strengthening international mechanisms
Increasing evidence on dynamics of attacks
Developing practical strategies for protection
Increasing accountability for violators of international law
In January 2012, the Coalition made an intervention at the WHO Executive Board calling on WHO to develop and implement methods for systematic collection of data on attacks on health facilities, workers, and transport and patients in conflict areas.
The intervention quoted a report released by the International Committee of the Red Cross last August which concluded that, “in terms of number of people affected, violence, both real and threatened, against health-care workers, facilities and beneficiaries is one of the biggest, most complex, and yet most under-recognized humanitarian issues today.” This ICRC report, Health care in Danger” was endorsed by ICN and can be accessed on www.icrc.org/eng/assets/files/reports/4073-002-16-country-study.pdf
Through ICN, member nursing associations have a seat at many of the highest policy tables; one of the most important of which is the World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of WHO. The WHA is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. The main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. ICN successfully advocates for the inclusion of nurses in national delegations to these meetings and provides briefings and information material to our members who are part of their country delegations or the ICN delegation to the Assembly.
For this year’s WHA, ICN will be making interventions on: WHO reform (WHPA); prevention and treatment of NCDs (WHPA); global burden of mental disorders (ICN); substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/counterfeit medical products (WHPA); and WHO’s human resources annual report. Of particular concern to ICN is nursing’s absence from WHO, which will undermine key programme targets and goals. See article on front page and ICN fact sheet.
Other issues of importance to nursing
Monitoring of the achievement of MDGs
Social determinants
Health systems strengthening
Prevention and control of MDR-XDR/TB
Global health sector strategy on HIV/AIDS
Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 12:30
WHO training course for public health professionals on protecting our health from climate change
The World Health Organization has developed this training course to improve the knowledge of health professionals on the associations and implication of climate change on human health and enhance stronger and more efficient participation of the health sector in addressng climate change challenges. The training course is designed for public health professionals who are actively involved in the management and decision-making process related to health programmes. The course will also give a good foundation for non-medical professionals involved in addressing the health challenges posed by climate change.
The Training Course consists of 19 sessions in the format of PowerPoint slides and text notes. A “Participants’ Guide”, a “Facilitators’ Guide”, associated bibliography and key reference documents, copies of two IPCC glossaries, and a list of acronyms used in the course are provided. www.who.int/globalchange/training/health_professionals/en/index.html
Last Updated on Thursday, 26 April 2012 08:52
World Immunization Week 21-28 April 2012
According to the World Health Organization, Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions. It prevents between 2 and 3 million deaths every year. Immunisation is key to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 4 on reducing under-five mortality by two thirds by 2015. Many of these deaths occur from diseases that can be prevented with vaccines.
Immunisation is also a key strategy to ensure global health security and for responding to the threat of emerging infections. Immunisation is also a key strategy to ensure global health security and for responding to the threat of emerging infections. In addition to reducing disease, suffering and death, immunisation also reduces the strain on health care systems and in many cases saves money that can be directed to other health services.
Health care workers who work with patients have an increased risk of exposure to vaccine-preventable diseases, and of passing those infections to other patients. As a result, health-care systems around the world recommend the immunisation of health care workers against certain infectious diseases. The rationale for this is three-fold. Vaccination against key diseases will protect the health care workers, protect their families and protect their patients.
ICN calls on governments to promote healthy ageing and prevent chronic conditions.
Ageing and health is the theme of this year's World Health Day. Looking at the age pyramid of our societies we see the number of older people is increasing globally requiring complex care needs. Part of this demographic change relates to the fact that we are having fewer children. This means there will be fewer people to provide care for the increased number of elderly with more complex care need.
Although, this population ageing can be seen as a success story for public health policies and for socio-economic development, it also has serious health implications. The increase in life expectancy results in a greater number of older persons in need of a wider range of health services, including health promotion, illness prevention, rehabilitation, acute/chronic care and palliative care.
This translates to increased cost largely due to increase in disability and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. However, ageing doesn't have to be a time of illness and disability. Through concerted efforts in disease prevention and promotion of healthy ageing, we can prevent or postpone many chronic conditions and disabilities.
Moving towards a more positive outlook the risk factors for the many chronic diseases associated with ageing are generally few and can be prevented with few effective interventions. This should make promotion of healthy ageing and prevention of chronic conditions a high priority for nurses. That is why ICN calls on governments to put policies, programmes and intersect oral strategies to promote healthy ageing and prevent chronic conditions. More than ever there is greater need for health promotion, disease prevention, creating supportive environments, strengthening community action for health, building healthy public policy, implementing early detection and screening, and appropriate care and support programmes for ageing societies. Nurses are key to delivering and coordinating these services.
However, ageing is also affecting the nursing workforce. Over the next 10 to15 years many industrialised countries will experience a large exodus of nurses from their workforce as nurses retire just at a time when demand for nursing and health care is on the rise. Finding ways to retain older nurses is a challenge of increasing importance to health systems throughout the world.
Nursing faculty are also ageing. In many countries today the average age of nursing school staff members is 50. When combined with a shrinking pool of young nursing teachers, this affects the ability of schools to educate sufficient numbers of nurses to meet current and future demand.
As nurses, we need to be prepared for the future by increasing our knowledge of what ageing means to health care systems around the globe. ICN is pleased to provide you with some resources on ageing:
ICN calls for NNA support for resolution on WHO’s role in humanitarian emergencies
Information available only for Members
Last Updated on Monday, 02 April 2012 16:32
Where is nursing in WHO? Going, Going, Gone!
ICN is deeply concerned by the decreasing numbers of nurses at the country, regional and headquarter levels of WHO. The absence of nursing expertise is evident within WHO’s technical and professional positions, and in the composition of its technical advisory bodies and expert committees.
Over the years ICN has been lobbying WHO through letters, interventions at the Executive Board and World Health Assembly and meetings with WHO leadership to increase the number of nurses in WHO.
Data from the WHO human resources annual report of December 2011 reveals 0.7% of professional staff are nurses and 90.5% are medical specialists. Dieticians and nutritionists (at 2.6 %) and pharmacists (at 2.0%) have greater representation than nurses.
In May 2011 at the ICN Conference in Malta, ICN Board of Directors and the CNR passed an emergency resolution calling on WHO to fill the nursing post and recruit suitably qualified nurses in WHO. This year, we are following up on this resolution: we have updated our fact sheet ; ICN President Rosemary Bryant has written to the WHO Director General to urgently address this matter; and there will be a major push with delegations at WHA. We urge you to discuss this with your ministries if you have the opportunity to do so.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 10:04
Triad meeting 18-19 May 2012
The fourth Triad meeting of the International Council of Nurses, the World Health Organization and the International Confederation of Midwives will be held on 18-19 May 2012. Participants will include ggovernment chief nursing and midwifery officers, representatives of national nursing and midwifery associations and regulatory bodies Topics covered will include nruses and midwives contribution to the prevention and control of NCDs; nursing and midwifery educational competencies, curriculum and scopes of practice to effectively address NCDs; and nursing and midwifery engagement in policy setting and health system strengthening.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 02 May 2012 10:05
World TB Day 24 March 2012
On the occasion of World TB Day 24 March 2012 ICN focuses its attention on tuberculosis.
ICN has been building global nursing capacity in the prevention, care and treatment of TB in all its forms as part of the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership since 2005. Experienced nurses, working mainly in the TB and HIV fields, are trained to cascade information to nursing colleagues and other health workers with the purpose of making improvements to patient care delivery. Using this approach ICN has prepared over 1300 nurses in 16 countries in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe since 2005. These nurses have in turn rolled out the training to over 56000 nurses and allied health workers. ICN’s TB Guidelines are available on-line in six languages (www.icn.ch/projects/guidelines-for-nurses/). ICN has also developed an exciting new resource on the care, prevention and management of tuberculosis which provides practical tools to nurses and those working with patients, families and communities affected by TB, including drug-resistant TB. The course is widely applicable for all settings, while also dealing with the challenges of providing care when resources are scarce and the workload is high: Interactive e-learning course on the "Care, prevention and management of tuberculosis"
The appeal hearing of 20 health professionals resumed in Bahrain on 8 March 2012
The appeal hearing of 20 health professionals resumed in Bahrain on 8 March 2012 before the civilian High Criminal Court of Appeal, following three previous hearings on 9 January, 28 February and 4 March. During the 8 March hearing five prosecution witnesses were called to testify. The defence lawyers reiterated their request made in previous sessions to include the reports of torture and the forensic examinations included in the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) report in the case file. Although this request had been accepted in a previous session, the reports have not yet been included. The next hearing is scheduled on 15 March, when defence witnesses should testify.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 March 2012 11:35
International Women’s Day: Connecting girls; inspiring futures
As nurses, we can all contribute to inspiring the future of girls on International Women’s Day 8 March 2012, and throughout the year. One way ICN is doing just that is through the Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF) which supports the primary and secondary schooling of girls under the age of 18 in developing countries whose nurse parent or parents have died. ICN also promotes women’s health and actively opposes female genital mutilation.
The Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF), a signature initiative of FNIF, supports the primary and secondary schooling of girls under the age of 18 in developing countries whose nurse parent or parents have died. Your donation to the Girl Child Education Fund will go towards school fees, uniforms, shoes and books. We are currently supporting 188 girls: 30 in Kenya, 33 in Zambia, 37 in Swaziland and 88 in Uganda. All these are the orphaned daughters of nurses who would otherwise not have been able to attend school. Below you will find links to more information on this project and how to support the project and keep these girls in school.
The health of women and girls is of crucial importance to the International Council of Nurses. Two of the Millennium Development Goals directly target women: Goal 3 Promote gender equality and empower women and Goal 5 Improve maternal health. Targeting women is also been recognised as an effective way to achieve many of the other goals. Women disproportionately suffer from hunger, disease, environmental degradation and impoverishment
World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development
This year's World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.
The Report stresses that despite the overall progress, primary and secondary school enrollments for girls remain much lower than for boys for disadvantaged populations in many Sub-Saharan countries and some parts of South Asia. ICN’s Girl Child Education Fund seeks to address this issue by supporting the primary and secondary education of girls under the age of 18 in four sub-Saharan African countries. For more information go to www.fnif.org/girlfund.htm:
The Report focus on four priorities for domestic policy action:
Addressing excess deaths of girls and women and eliminating gender disadvantage in education where these remain entrenched.
Closing differences in access to economic opportunities and the ensuing earnings and productivity gaps between women and men.
Shrinking gender differences in voice within households and societies.
Limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.
This year's World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development argues that gender equality is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative.
The Report stresses that despite the overall progress, primary and secondary school enrollments for girls remain much lower than for boys for disadvantaged populations in many Sub-Saharan countries and some parts of South Asia. ICN’s Girl Child Education Fund seeks to address this issue by supporting the primary and secondary education of girls under the age of 18 in four sub-Saharan African countries. For more information go to www.fnif.org/girlfund.htm:
The Report focus on four priorities for domestic policy action:
Addressing excess deaths of girls and women and eliminating gender disadvantage in education where these remain entrenched.
Closing differences in access to economic opportunities and the ensuing earnings and productivity gaps between women and men.
Shrinking gender differences in voice within households and societies.
Limiting the reproduction of gender inequality across generations.
Last Updated on Monday, 02 April 2012 11:26
World Cancer Day 2012: ’Together it is possible’
On the occasion of World Cancer Day, 4 February 2012, ICN calls attention to our work in this area.
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008 (Globocan 2008, IARC 2010)
Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year.
The most frequent types of cancer differ between men and women.
About 30% of cancer deaths are due to the five leading behavioral and dietary risks: high body mass index, low fruit and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, alcohol use. (WHO 2011 Fact Sheet)
The WHO's Executive Board has nominated Dr Margaret Chan for a second term as Director-General of the Organization. This nomination will be submitted for approval to the 65th World Health Assembly, scheduled to meet in Geneva from 21–26 May 2012. If confirmed by the World Health Assembly, Dr Chan's new term will begin on 1 July 2012 and continue until 30 June 2017.
ICN welcomes the appointment of Dr Ala Alwan as the new WHO Regional Director for WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region, starting 1 February 2012. Dr Alwan is a native of Iraq. From 2008 until the end of 2011, he was Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at WHO Headquarters, where he led WHO's work that resulted in the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2011 of the Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.
Last Updated on Thursday, 02 February 2012 10:33
Health professional trial resumes
The trial of the 20 health professionals resumed in Bahrain on 9 January 2012. Their lawyers have asked the court to lift the travel bans imposed on them in order to allow them to return to work. In addition, their lawyers have requested the court to write a document ensuring that confessions obtained under torture are not used in the case. The next trial session will be held on 19 March 2012.
Last Updated on Friday, 13 January 2012 09:07
A greeting message for the new year from ICN CEO David Benton
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 February 2012 12:09
New report on the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health
The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health has recently released a new report on the global push to improve the health of women and children. ICN is one of the 200 partners involved in this joint effort. The report, based on structured interviews and reviews of related documentation, seeks to further our collective understanding of the current Global Strategy commitments, facilitating more effective advocacy to advance the Every Woman, Every Child effort.
ICN’s 25th Quadrennial Congress : Equity and Access to Health Care ICN looks forward to welcoming you to our 25th Quadrennial Congress in Melbourne, Australia, 18-23 May 2013.
ICN is pleased to announce the launch of a special Florence Nightingale teddy bear in support of the Girl Child Education Fund (GCEF). The GCEF provides for the primary and secondary schooling of orphaned daughters of nurses in developing countries, paying for school fees, uniforms, shoes and books. The GCEF is an initiative of ICN’s premier foundation, the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF).
To order this delightful bear and support the GCEF, just click on the bear or go to www.gcefbear.com
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