Mindful eating, treatment of the diabetic foot, falls prevention and patient safety culture are among the research topics being explored at the RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) 33rd Annual International Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Conference, which takes place today.

Approximately 160 nurses and midwives will attend the Conference entitled ‘Fundamentals of Nursing & Midwifery Practice’, which coincides with the 40th Anniversary of the Faculty. 

Speakers from the USA, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Ireland will deliver presentations on the latest developments in areas such as healthy ageing; oncology; wound management and tissue viability; palliative care; midwifery and women’s health.

Ms Patricia Daly, University of Arizona, USA will present her research on ‘Mindful Eating: The Adolescent Obesity Solution’. 

Mindful eating, a behavioural skill historically successful in the treatment of anorexia, reconnects eating to satiety cues (feeling full), and has potential as an anti-obesity intervention. Ms Daly will discuss the results of a study of obese adolescents which showed mindful eating participants’ BMI decreased significantly compared to those who were provided with usual diet and exercise information. 

The conference opened yesterday evening with an address from Ms Christina Noble, Founder of the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, who was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, the highest honour the Faculty can bestow.

Reading Ms Noble’s citation, Dr Aine Colgan, Board Member and Former Dean, RCSI Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery said: “Christina Noble has dedicated her life to helping to lift thousands of Vietnamese and Mongolian children out of poverty, giving them and their families a chance to live a life of purpose and dignity. She is a compassionate humanitarian and living proof that if you follow your dreams, there is no end to what you can achieve for others.”

Ms Edna Woolhead, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at RCSI said: “Nursing has an increasingly important role in health care delivery. Nurses are true patient advocates and their focus is always around how new developments and changes in policy will impact on the care of the patient. This year’s Conference, marking the Faculty’s 40th anniversary, will invigorate and enrich our delegates, providing them with new knowledge informed by national and international experts, to help them face the ever increasing challenges of our health care system here in Ireland.”

Other topics being presented at the conference include:

• Falling Behind! A Collaborative Approach to Better Bone Health and Falls Prevention – Ms Daragh Rodger, HSE, Ireland
• Offloading for the Treatment of the Diabetic Foot: A Systematic Review - MsAna Lúcia Oliveira, RCSI, Ireland
• An Exploration of the Relationship Between Measures of Positive Organisational Behaviour and Health Services Staff Perceptions of Patient Safety Culture - Mr Steven Pitman, RCSI, Ireland