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PGR report on recent International Conference from Karen Pugh-Clarke
It was a pleasure to present the preliminary findings of my PhD research at the 41st European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association (EDTNA/ERCA) International Conference in Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg is the principal city of the Alsace, a region of France that has a chequered and turbulent history. Due to its location on the banks of the river Rhine, Strasbourg was, on numerous occasions, under Germanic rule, a legacy that is evident in the strong German influence on its culture and cuisine. Strasbourg is now the official seat of the European Parliament, and is thus apt as a venue for the annual EDTNA/ERCA conference.
The conference took place between the 15th and 18th September 2012, and attracted not only delegates from Europe, but a worldwide audience. Approximately 2,000 delegates attended the conference, travelling from as far afield as Australia, Singapore, Canada, and Brazil. Nephrology prides itself in being a truly multidisciplinary speciality, which was reflected in the diverse backgrounds of conference attendees. In addition to nephrology nurses from a range of renal fields e.g. haemodialysis, transplantation, and pre-dialysis care, participants comprised nephrologists, dieticians, social workers, and technicians. As an invited speaker to the conference, I was funded to attend by the Association.
My presentation was entitled ‘Exploring symptoms in patients with stage 4 chronic kidney disease: a qualitative study’, which I delivered, as a short 15 minute oral abstract, to an audience of approximately 200 delegates. My research, which I am undertaking part time in the Research Institute for Social Sciences at Keele, is a mixed methods study which aims to develop an instrument to assess symptoms in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). My paper described the qualitative (first) phase of the research which aimed to explore the range of symptoms experienced by this patient population. Ten semi-structured patient interviews were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis to identify symptom themes and patterns across the data. These findings will directly influence the quantitative (second) phase of my study, where they will form the symptom items on a scale.
My presentation was well received by the international audience, which demonstrated the potential value of my research on symptom identification and subsequent control. Since the conference I have been invited to write up my paper as an article for publication in the Journal of Renal Care (the journal of the EDTNA/ERCA), which I will complete prior to commencing the next phase of my study. I aim to present more of my findings at next year’s conference, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden 2013.
Karen Pugh-Clarke
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