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Nurses sharing knowledge: global venture to develop clinical skills and improve care

IGNITE programme will support nurses to meet WHO sustainable development goals

Edinburgh Global Nursing Initiative will work with nurses and midwives in nations where there is conflict and high incidence of poverty

The Burdett Trust-funded programme will allow nurses worldwide to share their knowledge
Picture: iStock

A global knowledge-sharing programme to connect and empower nurses and midwives worldwide has been set up at the University of Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Global Nursing Initiative will develop education programmes and research collaborations with local organisations to advance the scope of practice for nurses and midwives in areas where health systems are facing challenges such as infectious diseases, poverty, and conflict.

The first three projects aim to improve care for populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Uganda. These are designed to:

  • Develop nurse-led care to improve surgical outcomes for women still living with the results of sexual injury and mutilation sustained during the 1998-2003 conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, when rape was used as a weapon of war.
  • Improve clinical skills in palliative care nursing in Uganda
  • Collaborate with nurses, midwives and William VS Tubman University in Liberia to enhance maternal and neonatal care in the country.

Nurses will be drivers of change

Aisha Holloway

University of Edinburgh’s head of nursing studies, Aisha Holloway, said: ‘This initiative will help propel nurses and midwives as drivers of change.

‘We are proud to be part of the global push to promote the role and sphere of front-line healthcare workers.’

Support for pioneering nursing practice

Funding for the three projects has come from the Burdett Trust for Nursing charity, through its IGNITE (Innovative Global Nursing and Midwifery Partnership) programme, which will provide £300,000 over three years..

Burdett Trust chief executive, Shirley Baines, said the projects would help meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) sustainable development goals, which include promoting well-being for all.

She said: ‘The IGNITE programme provides an opportunity to support pioneering nursing and midwifery clinical practice, directly affecting patient and population outcomes, and accelerating progress towards the WHO’s sustainable development goals.’


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