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Nurses and respiratory specialist nurses are a key part of the allied respiratory professional community, and they are involved in almost all care programmes for patients with respiratory diseases.
Respiratory nurses have an important role in patient education, the enhancement of patient self-management and the management of care. An increasingly important element of the respiratory nurse’s role is to act as a clinical study nurse and coordinator, which is of vital importance to nursing research and facilitating clinical research.
Andreja is based in the Department for Respiratory Diseases at Jordanovac, University Hospital Center in Zagreb, Croatia.
She has authored publications on the potential for developing European standards for the training of respiratory nurses.
In 2020, on behalf of the ERS Nursing Group, she gathered a working group (including prominent respiratory nurses, respiratory technologists and scientists, and representatives from all leading respiratory societies, nursing associations and patient’s organisations) to develop an international curriculum for respiratory nurses.
Q: What makes the ERS Congress unique for respiratory nurses?
For respiratory nurses, the ERS Congress offers opportunities to share their research, clinical experience, and to connect to open possibilities for further joint work. ERS is an excellent example of where respiratory nurses from all fields, from academia to clinical practice, can share their ideas and cooperate. Amazing opportunities are offered, especially to early career members at the beginning of their professional careers.
I want to take this opportunity to share my gratitude to all nurses around the world who were in the front line with the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. I thank all of you, for your sacrifice, hard work and effort in keeping healthcare’s systems sustainable in this difficult and challenging times. Be proud and keep safe!
Q: In your opinion, what will be the popular topics for nurses during this year’s Congress, and what will be a particular highlight for you?
A particular highlight for the Nurses Group 9.3 will be the Oral presentation Development of the International Curriculum for Respiratory Nurses: perspectives and needs (6 September, 11:15–12:30 CEST). This session will emphasize the perceived need for development of an international curriculum for respiratory nurses and with perspectives from prominent respiratory nurses and representatives from the Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists, Respiratory Nursing and Interprofessional Collaborative, Portuguese Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, Portuguese Order of Nurses, Spanish Society of Pneumology and Thoracic Surgery, Swedish asthma-, allergy- and COPD nurses association, and the Turkish Thoracic Society Nursing Group.
During this session we will begin to set a new foundation towards standardization of respiratory education that can support the next generation of respiratory nurses around the world in providing high-quality care.
Q: Are there any particular sessions or activities that you highly recommend nurses participate in?
A highly recommended Oral presentation is Nursing aspects in asthma and COPD: self-management and pulmonary rehabilitation (6 September, 15:45–17:00 CEST), where we will discuss a nursing role in self-management for Asthma and COPD patients. One additional perspective that I am looking forward to in this session is the importance of the nursing role in pulmonary rehabilitation programs for respiratory patients. One more session I am looking forward to is the Thematic poster session Nursing interventions in various respiratory areas (6 September, 13:00–14:00 CEST) that is always vivid and provides interesting topics from all respiratory areas. These sessions bring opportunities for excellent discussions and connections.
Other sessions recommended for nurses that we must not forget are the Assembly members’ meeting Assembly 9: Allied respiratory professionals (3 September, 14:00–15:00 CEST)
