Nurse-midwife
A catalyst in contributing to build community resilience following a disaster
The APEDNN meets annually to network with colleagues from across the region, share ideas and further the work of emergency and disaster nursing. This year the aims were to update areas of education, training, research and publication. The main outputs were a checklist on the role of nurse-midwives in building community resilience in disaster; and a list of priority activities in strengthening nursing and midwifery in emergencies such as facilitating working group clusters to increase active participation and formalize membership and partnerships. The book ‘Nurses and midwives in action during emergencies and disasters: case studies from the Western Pacific Region’, a collaborative effort involving the network, was also launched during the meeting.
This year’s gathering also celebrated the breadth and depth of work of WHO Nurse Advisor Kathleen Fritsch in the Western Pacific Region, who established the APEDNN in 2007. She has worked tirelessly in support of nurse-midwives in the region and the group showed their appreciation.