Cardiovascular Nursing Spring Meeting

February 2nd, 2012

New scientific findings and hot topics in cardiovascular nursing will be the focus of the 12th Annual Spring Meeting on Cardiovascular Nursing. Managing in today's challenging financial environment and dealing with the increasing issue of cardiovascular disease in dementia patients are just two items on the packed agenda.

Some 200 abstracts will be presented by nurses and allied professionals on a wide range of topics including arrhythmias, heart failure, prevention, acute care, myocardial infarction and implantable devices. "There's such a breadth of research and quality improvement projects that nurses and AHPs (allied health professionals) bring to this congress," says Professor Christi Deaton, immediate past-chairperson of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP).

This year's meeting, 'Health at Heart', is organised jointly by the (CCNAP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the Professional Society for Cardiovascular and Thorax Surgery Nurses, based in Denmark. It will be held 16-17 March 2012 at the state of the art Bella Centre in Copenhagen, Denmark.

New scientific findings will be presented on risky behaviours in adolescents with congenital heart disease, the links between depression and heart disease, the impact of art on quality of life in stroke survivors, and numerous other subjects of interest to journalists and the wider public.

This year will see a record number of moderated posters presented, a great opportunity for journalists to get stories and speak to the researchers. "We increased the number of moderated poster sessions because it was such a popular forum last year," says Dr Kaat Siebens, chairperson of the CCNAP. "It was an excellent opportunity to see the posters up close and have a good discussion with the scientists."

In addition to the abstracts, sessions will be held on hot topics in cardiovascular nursing that affect large numbers of patients. A session on fear in cardiovascular patients will consider whether fear is a positive coping strategy or negative emotional status, how fear can lead to delays in seeking treatment, and the relationship between fear and inflammation, which is associated with worse outcomes. Another session will explore the growing problem of how to manage complex cardiovascular problems in older patients with dementia.

A session will be devoted to leadership and management in difficult times, including how to get nurse-patient ratios right and how to motivate and retain experienced nurses. This is particularly newsworthy given today's financial climate. "We are in difficult financial times and that affects healthcare," says Professor Deaton. "Oftentimes healthcare systems decrease staffing when there is an economic crisis."

For the first time a daily congress news will be distributed which highlights events not to be missed by delegates and the press, and the day's top three abstracts (oral, moderated poster, and poster), chosen by the CCNAP and dubbed the 'Reviewers Choice'.

Also new will be on-site interviews with key figures, including a nurse prescriber who can discuss this important subject ahead of the 2013 meeting in Glasgow, where nurses can prescribe.

The meeting attracts around 600 nurses, allied professionals and technicians from Europe and beyond. Delegates and journalists will stay at the striking Bella Sky Comwell Hotel, which is attached to the congress centre. For those who wish to visit the city centre, Copenhagen Central Station is just 10-15 minutes' drive away.

"We drafted the scientific programme with topics that are really important for our delegates," concludes Dr Siebens. "And everybody is feeling the crisis, so I think one of the most important sessions will be the one regarding leadership and management in difficult times."

Provided by European Society of Cardiology