Abstract book 6th RMS 16.indd

TUESDAY
20 November 2012
Hall A Session 1
Nursing
1
Leishmania Diagnosis
Dr Nawal Sameeh Hijjawi (Jordan)
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an endemic
disease in Jordan where few hundred
cases are reported annually. During the
last few years in Jordan occasional large
outbreaks occurred in endemic and new
foci. Studies toward the identification of
the causative Leishmania species is lacking
and always the diagnosis relies on the
clinical presentation and the microscopic
identification of the parasite in Giemsa
stained smears prepared from the lesion.
Leishmaniasis diagnosis in regions where
multiple species exist should be aimed
at identifying each species directly in the
clinical sample. Therefore, the present study
aimed at applying a DNA-based assay using
internal transcribed spacer1- polymerase
chain reaction (ITS1-PCR) for the diagnosis
of leishmaniasis in clinical samples isolated
from Jordanian patients and to compare
the results with the microscopic diagnosis
using Giemsa staining procedure. In 28 out
of the 41 clinical samples inspected from
Leishmania infected patients, amastigotes
were observed by microscopy but does
not allow species identification. However
ITS1-PCR analysis for the same samples
recovered 30 positives out of the 41
samples. Further analysis for the infecting
species by digestion of the ITS1 amplicons
with the restriction enzyme Hae III revealed
28 clinical samples to be infected with L.
major and 2 with L. tropica.
2
Nursing Workforce: Policy
Implications for Health Reform
Dr Rowaida Al-Ma’aitah (Jordan)
Although Nursing in Jordan crowned the
nursing profession in the Middle East, the
quality of the nursing care and planning for
efficient and effective workforce to fulfil
the health needs of populations are still
considered main challenges for nurses and
policy makers specially with the absence of
a solid health reform in Jordan.
The national Agenda of Jordan in
2005 highlighted the main pillars and
interventions for a stronger Jordan
including a solid health reform. It also
recognizes nursing as an essential
investment in the health care industry and
the economy of the country. Unfortunately,
neither the agenda nor the health reform
dreams have became a reality so far since
2005. The lag in realizing the goals of the
National Agenda created a “foggy zone”
in the health care system and services in
Jordan leaving the nursing profession with
lingering imbalances in its workforce and
the quality of care.
This plenary session provides a critical
analysis of the directions of the nursing
workforce in Jordan during the period
from 2003-2011 focusing on key trends,
main challenges, current evidence and
policy initiatives pertinent to the nursing
profession and health reform.
New concerns are arising about the quality
of nursing care questioning the soundness
of the content and process of nursing
education and training, competencies for
nursing practice, scope of practice and
level of sophistication needed for nurses
to be able to play significant and more
independent roles within a new era of
“shifting” health problems and needs as
well as a more complex health care system.
“Retooling” nursing education,
“recalibrating” the content and process
of clinical practice, “molding” the scope
of nursing practice, “revamping” working
conditions, “costing” the impacts of
nursing care on improving quality of care,
“honing” the skills of nurses in evidence
based practice, “engaging” nurses at
different policy making levels; are all
essential in formulating solid policies to
“regain the balance” in nursing workforce
and “engage with reality” to make a true
investment in a well-prepared nursing
workforce with increased efficiency,
innovation and better health outcomes
within a solid health reform.
www.jrms.gov.jo
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