EXERCISE Survey

Background

Worldwide, nurses make a vital contribution to cardiovascular health and assist in the achievement of the ESC’s mission to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease. The Munich declaration published in 2000: ‘Nurses and midwives: A force for health’ (WHO 2000) indicated a paradigm shift in terms of recognition of the nursing profession, across the European healthcare workforce. This was an initial step towards acknowledgement of the professional standing of nurses and their potential contribution to tackling emergent public health challenges across Europe.

Over the last decade nurse roles have evolved and scope of practise has significantly increased. Evaluating the educational preparation of nurses employed across Europe is long overdue. Furthermore, exploring the diversity in roles for nurses providing advanced cardiovascular care and evaluating their educational preparation and its alignment to the core curriculum for cardiovascular nurses is urgently required.

Exploring the role and practice component of nurses within modern “real-world” healthcare will ensure future developments and educational initiatives are appropriate to advance practice.

Objectives

• To develop a collaborative project between the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (ACNAP) and the National Cardiovascular Nursing Societies.
• To explore current roles and identify practice components of Nurses working in cardiovascular care across Europe.

Method

This is a descriptive study undertaken through collaboration between ACNAP and the National Cardiovascular Nursing Societies.

Components of previous European surveys (Astin et al. 2014; Jaarsma et al. 2006; Seferovic et al. 2013) will be used to inform the development of a new survey (39 questions) that seeks to describe the advanced roles undertaken by the cardiovascular nurses, their practice area, the education they have undertaken or plan to undertake to ensure competency.

31 National Cardiovascular Nursing Societies were contacted thought their coordinators and in order to invite their members to participate in this survey, uploaded onto an IT platform and managed by the Queen’s University Belfast, School of Nursing.

In addition of direct invitation to National societies representatives, the survey was promoted on ACNAP bulletins and Newsletters, reaching all ACNAP members.

Results

Extending the deadline to 10 March, helped in collecting 1,425 questionnaires from 39 countries.

National CV Nursing Societies who succeeded in completing 100 questionnaires or more, won 2 free registrations for the EuroHeartCare Congress, taking place in Milan in May 2019.

A big CONGRATULATIONS to the winning Nursing Societies below:

• Ireland
• Denmark
• Greece
• Netherlands
• Egypt

National CV Nursing Societies who succeeded in completing 50 questionnaires or more, won one free registration for one of its members, for the EuroHeartCare Congress, taking place in Milan in May 2019.

The winning Nursing Societies are listed below:

• Finland
• Poland
• Spain
• Norway
• United Kingdom

Top 25 countries