Coming Together for Better Care
Last month, 12 expert Mesothelioma UK nurses were honoured to attend The International Mesothelioma Interest Group (iMig) biennial conference in Philadelphia, USA. The iMig conference brings together scientists, clinicians, and patient advocates from around the world, all dedicated to advancing the understanding, prevention, and treatment of mesothelioma. It acts as a brilliant opportunity for professionals working with those affected by mesothelioma to learn, collaborate and share best practice.
Our nurses were proud to take part, sharing insights into the vital work our charity does — from running patient and family support groups to providing specialist nurse-led care across the UK. As Mesothelioma UK CEO Liz Darlison shares, the conference was a great opportunity “to be saturated in all things mesothelioma.”
Our Charity’s Role and Presentations
During the event, our nurses had the opportunity to present on the work our charity carries out to support patients and their families throughout the UK. Our Clinical Nurse Specialist, Laura Smith showcased the support that Mesothelioma UK offers, including details of our online support groups, short courses for both patients and their loved ones, and our Facebook groups where patients and families can support each other.
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Kate Slaven’s study on ‘Cough and mesothelioma’ was presented by Chris Jones, whilst Clinical Nurse Specialist, Simon Bolton chaired a session for the International Thoracic Oncology Nursing Forum (ITONF).
Clinical Nurse Specialists Charlie Buckle, Sam Westbrook and Louise Nelson worked collaboratively on a project looking at how our nurses across the UK use social media as a clinical forum. They undertook an audit to record content, highlighting discussion themes and categories. This provided meaningful data to not only capture the additional nursing activity they undertake, but to also demonstrate the vital peer support and content that guides our service delivery and resource planning.
Sam Westbrook also presented a session on Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Sam told us that she “shared the research conducted with the Mesothelioma UK Research Centre at the University of Sheffield on the findings of the patients and carers experience of the peritoneal pathway. We had a discussion about how best to tackle the beginning of the pathway to ensure patients have a more supportive and positive experience.
“I shared how peritoneal is a cousin to pleural mesothelioma and not its sister. I explained how the two diseases differ and the UK approach to supporting patients.”
Click here to learn more about peritoneal mesothelioma.
Insights and Inspiration to Improve Patient Care
As well as sharing their own best practice, our nurses were eager to hear from others — to learn about new developments in mesothelioma research, treatments, trails and breakthroughs, gaining inspiration to bring forward to the UK.
Many of our nurses reflected on how much they learned – every talk and conversation brought something valuable. Here’s what they had to say about the thought-provoking day:
- Spending time with hundreds of colleagues from across the world all with a special interest in mesothelioma was an amazing experience. I was able to listen to their thoughts, opinions, and research about what could be done better and how care and treatments might be changed to improve the outcomes for people with this disease. – Clinical Nurse Specialist, Tracy Petrie
- An aspect presented was the notion of ‘Trauma Informed Care’ and using this approach to improve how we communicate with patients. There was emphasis on patients and their healthcare professional proactively identifying any triggers that cause distress, to help avoid these in future interactions, so we ‘prevent re-traumatising’ patients. It highlighted that care is a collaboration and shouldn’t happen to patients but rather with This improves patient empowerment and promotes the holistic approach mesothelioma nurses provide to our patients and their families. – Clinical Nurse Specialist, Charlie Buckle
- The greatest benefit of attending iMig was connecting with the international community who share the same challenges, passion, and commitment. These relationships strengthen our collective ability to improve mesothelioma care worldwide. – Head of Nursing, Leah Taylor
- It was an amazing conference venue. I want to congratulate and thank the meeting hosts, Melissa Culligan and Joe Friedberg. We felt incredibly proud that Mesothelioma UK nurses, research centre and trustees were all high profiled throughout the meeting. – Clinical Nurse Specialist and Mesothelioma UK CEO, Liz Darlison
Continuing the Journey Together
As the conference came to a close, there was a shared understanding that iMig provided a fantastic opportunity to learn and network with colleagues, all of whom have a special interest in mesothelioma.
The day reinforced how vital it is for nurses, researchers and charities to keep learning from one another and working together towards the same goal – that of improving the lives of people affected by mesothelioma. We’re truly grateful to have taken part.