Volume 40 Number 1

We are all in this together

For many of us who follow the Gregorian calendar, 2020 has an extra day – 29 February. This special day, called leap year day, was created years ago to correct the calendar as the earth does not precisely orbit the sun in 365 days. Therefore, the earth realigns itself with the calendar by adding another day every four years.

For those of you who follow the Chinese calendar, we wish you good fortune in the year of the rat. The Chinese calendar has 12 animals and the rat is the first of the animals. The year of the rat is considered a year of new beginnings. 

There are, of course, other calendars, many of which are lunar based that our members may follow. 

Regardless of which calendar you might be following, who would have predicted that 2020, the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, would start off by connecting the world in such a health-related way through the COVID-19 virus.

There really are no words to describe the COVID-19 virus. But if we had to we would pick the following words – unprecedented, uncertainty, unusual and unbelievable. 

COVID-19 is unprecedented in our modern times as a pandemic of severe global proportions. While there have been other viruses that have spread around the globe, this one has reached around the world in such a fast and deadly way that it underscores how interconnected we all are with each other. We must pay attention and care what is happening in another country. This is a time for trying to learn and understand from each other so together we can conquer this global health crisis.

We are uncertain as to what will happen. While not all the information is known at the time that this edition is going to press, already we have seen the postponement of conferences and meetings. We applaud Gulnaz Tariq and her team at the WUWHS for making the difficult decision to postpone the March WUWHS meeting until the new date of 13-17 September. 

As WCET^® is a supporting society of WUWHS, we agree that the health and safety of our colleagues must always come first. In many countries, the gathering of people is restricted and social distancing has become the new norm. We must look for facts and not fear as we navigate through these times of uncertainty. 

Of course, our hearts and prayers go out to all who have been ill and those who have lost their lives to this virus. We remain proud of all of you who are working countless hours, with perhaps limited supplies and rest, in order to care for those who are ill. Your dedication even in the face of your own personal risk is amazing and we applaud you for all your efforts. We don’t know when this pandemic crisis will be controlled but do hope that it is soon.

While we cannot be physically together, social connection through the phone, internet or other means can be an important source of support.

We have already seen some unusual and even uplifting moments around the world. While we don’t know all of them, we are especially intrigued by the singing that people confined to their homes are doing from their windows to let the world hear the sounds of hope. Music is the universal language. The right music can be therapeutic. Music therapy can decrease anxiety and even improve one’s mood. In clinical practice, music therapy is used to distract people in times of pain and to increase quality of life. 

Bringing people comfort in times of health crises is what you do every day in your practice. This is a time when we need to bring messages of hope and care to everyone, including our family, friends and colleagues. Besides your other clinical skills, the world truly needs your expert communication and caring skills to get through this pandemic. Reach out to those who are social distancing to help stop the spread of this virus. 

It is unbelievable that it took so long for so many people to take notice of health warning from medical and nursing professionals. The failure to immediately adhere to social distancing rules has exacerbated the spread of Covid-19.

We started this message by saying that the year of the rat holds the promise of new beginnings. This is true for the WCET^® Journal. Not only is 2020 a celebratory year as we mark the 40^th anniversary of the WCET^® Journal, but we are very pleased to announce that the journal will now be published in five languages. Thanks to the generous support of Calmoseptine^®, the journal will now also be translated into Portuguese. While the English version is mailed to all WCET^® members, the electronic versions in Chinese, French, Spanish and now Portuguese will be available electronically on the WCET^® website (www.wcetn.org). 

Also, new this year is an official agreement between Cambridge Media and Wolters Kluwer. Because sharing global manuscripts is so important, four articles a year from the WCET^® Journal will be co-published in the Advances in Skin and Wound Care (ASWC) Journal and vice versa. As part of this agreement, a discounted subscription rate of $US39.95 annually for the online ASWC Journal is available for WCET^® members. Look for more details about this which will be posted on the WCET^® website shortly.

Our biennial congress is an important time for all of us to share and update our knowledge, The Congress Planning Committee and Scientific Committee are working diligently to bring you a phenomenal educational event. When we can once again gather in person under the WCET^® banner at our next biennial banner, we hope you will share your outstanding experiences. The deadline for abstracts for the Glasgow conference is 29 March. So, if you can, please submit your abstract of your stories to the WCET^® BullETin at its new email which is wcet.bulletin@cambridgemedia.com.au.

We hope to see you in Glasgow in October 2020 for the joint WCET^® ASCN-UK Congress. Till then, be well, keep washing your hands and take care of yourself. We care about you and WCET^® is here for you.

Sincerely

Elizabeth A. Ayello
PhD, RN, ETN, CWON, MAPWCA, FAAN
WCET^® President 2018-2020

Laurent O. Chabal
BSc (CBP), RN, OncPall (Cert), Dip (WH), ET, EAWT
WCET^® Vice President 2018-2020

WUWHS 2020 Conference

It was with great sadness that the WUWHS meeting planned for 8-12 March 2020 in Abu Dhabi was postponed. Our first thoughts were for the safety of conference participants and faculty. As the number of cases increased and travel restrictions began, it was regretfully a necessary decision. While we are sorry for any inconvenience to our worldwide colleagues, your safety and wellbeing is of the utmost importance to us. The new dates for WUWHS are 13-17 September 2020 in Abu Dhabi. We hope to see you there. Please check our website wuwhs2020.com for more information and the latest updates about the conference.

We are grateful that the two IIWCC courses scheduled for the week before WUWHS were held. A new class of 54 students comprise the incoming class of the eighth batch of persons to attend the IIWCC in Abu Dhabi. This class had 11 physicians and 43 nurses who work in UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Ethiopia, South Africa, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar. We appreciate that, despite extra busy work schedules, local faculty were able to speak to Dr Dunn Roderick, Plastic Surgeon; Elizabeth Ruth Chaudary, Podiatrist; and Derar Rushdy Gharaibeh, Manager Research and Education. Faculty from outside the UAE, Prof Gary Sibbald, Dr Elizabeth Ayello, Dr Helen Yifter, Dr Bharat Kotru and Ms Hiske Smart, were able to lecture in person or using live Zoom technology. This allowed students to interact with the faculty even if they were not physically in the course classroom. Course logistics were provided by Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) wound care nurses. Those students will now spend the next year reading and writing nine modules and a selective which is a project based on a practice change in their work setting. They will return in March 2021 for another residential weekend and will present verbally to their classmates their selective change projects. We can’t wait to hear what they have accomplished.

The seventh batch/class of IIWCC also returned to Abu Dhabi for their second residential weekend. Because of travel bans, some students were not able to attend in person. However, using Zoom technology, all the students were able to see, hear and participate by asking questions during the course sessions. Dr Abdulla Ismaeel Mohammed was the class valedictorian, a distinction earned by the person who has the highest score on their course modules. There was a total of 40 selectives that were verbally presented to the class and faculty. This represents a significant addition of literature and research coming from our regions. While we are proud of all our IIWCG graduates for 2020, three selectives were acknowledged as standing out from the rest. The award for the first place selective went to Amel Al Yousel from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for ‘The use of infrared thermometer to measure wound temperature’. Interestingly, she attended the course using Zoom. The team of Anthony Valentine Brincat and Sara Kate Mangan from Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD) took second place with their study on ‘The impact of the DEVICE^© and SORE^© mnemonic on MDRPI incidence’. Third place selective was earned by Sheba Pradeep and Cheyser Joy B Corpuz Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi, for their work titled ‘Quality improvement project to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers’. After a completion dinner and formal graduation ceremony, where participants received their pins and certificates of completion, the students returned home.

Because learning never ends, there will be an update for IIWCC graduates to be presented at a session at the rescheduled September 2020 WUWHS congress. We also look forward to welcoming the ninth class/batch for their first residential weekend as well as greeting class/batch eight for their second residential in March 2021.

Gulnaz Tariq
RN, IIWCC, MSc
IIWCG President and WUWHS President Elect

Author(s)

Elizabeth A. Ayello
PhD, RN, ETN, CWON, MAPWCA, FAAN
WCET^® President 2018-2020

Laurent O. Chabal
BSc (CBP), RN, OncPall (Cert), Dip (WH), ET, EAWT
WCET^® Vice President 2018-2020

Gulnaz Tariq
RN, IIWCC, MSc
IIWCG President and WUWHS President Elect