About six months ago, I submitted an abstract on the cystic fibrosis quality improvement project I've been working on for the past two years to the European Cystic Fibrosis Society for their 36th annual conference being held in Lisbon, Portugal. To my surprise and excitement my abstract was not only accepted but given a presentation slot in a workshop on partnership with patients in adult care! I had planned on attending and presenting, worked out a flight schedule that would have allowed me to go to Lisbon present and only miss two days of school. But after careful consideration, I decided that missing two days of nursing school was two days too many and so my work is being presented on my behalf.
This work says that there are unmet needs in the end of life care for adult cystic fibrosis patients, that healthcare professionals find unique challenges in providing quality end of life care for cystic fibrosis patients, that patients, their families, loved ones, caregivers, and healthcare providers want improved care and improved communication, and that patients are their own best advocates.
I am so proud to have worked on this project, to have been able to remember 13 individuals and to have helped their stories influence the future of quality care. I am also proud to have given the nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, social workers, and dietitians an opportunity and a place to share their experiences caring for these individuals. I am so grateful for the experience I gained through my role in research and as a patient advocate and I am so proud to now be a nursing student.
So tomorrow as I walk into my nursing assessment lab to practice respiratory, cardiac, and abdominal assessments with individuals who share my passion for nursing, my work on improving end of life care for adults with cystic fibrosis will be presented in front of individuals who share my passion for cystic fibrosis in Lisbon, Portugal.
I don't think it could be better than that.
