Liesbeth Moortgat © ECCO

On the evening of Wednesday, February 14, 26 nurses from 17 countries across Europe participated in our yearly N-ECCO National Representatives Meeting.  

As N-ECCO Committee Member responsible for the National Representatives, Liesbeth Moortgat welcomed the attendees, and this was followed by a short round of introductions. Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Slovenia, Poland and the United Kingdom were happy to present their new National Representatives. An exchange of nurses every 2–3 years is greatly encouraged by N-ECCO, but many countries nevertheless retain the same National Representatives for more than 3 years. New people tend to mean new ideas!

Kay Greveson © ECCO

The cultural city of Vienna welcomed the participants of the 12^th N-ECCO Network Meeting this year. 

N-ECCO Chair Palle Bager (Denmark) opened the Network Meeting by welcoming 275 nurses and dietitians from across the world who share the goal of developing care for people with IBD globally. The first session focused on the role of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease nurse specialist. Isobel Mason (UK) discussed the value of the IBD nurse and how to promote the role across Europe, including how to audit your service and provide a detailed job plan. She also presented a new healthcare professional website developed by Crohn’s and Colitis UK, which has numerous resources to support the IBD nurse. 

Susanna Jäghult © ECCO

This year 92 nurses with a special interest in research participated in the 5^th N-ECCO Research Forum in Vienna. The participants were a fine mix of experienced nurse researchers and nurses new to research. The meeting itself offered a combination of plenary and interactive sessions and workshops.

The Forum was opened by Susanna Jäghult (Sweden), who co-chaired with Palle Bager (Denmark). The first session addressed practical issues in research.

Usha Chauhan © ECCO

The 9^th N-ECCO School in Vienna was well attended, attracting 62 participants, including 11 dietitians, from 24 countries. This year the learning objectives were published online, next to the programme. The School covered a range of IBD topics for both nurses and dietitians who work with IBD patients. The aim of the School is to enhance basic knowledge in a clear and precise manner in order to enable nurses and dietitians new to IBD, or those with an interest in the subject, to provide better support to IBD patients throughout Europe and beyond. In addition, the N-ECCO School has come to serve as a great networking opportunity for both nurses and dietitians, enabling them to share experiences and plans for furthering their careers and demonstrating the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to IBD care.

Palle Bager  ©  ECCO

The overarching aim of ECCO is to improve the care of patients with IBD in all its aspects through international guidelines for practice, education, research and collaboration in the area of IBD. For several years, ECCO has been exploring ways to increase nurse education opportunities throughout Europe. In addition to the three nursing Educational Activities that are offered at the ECCO Congress each year, ECCO will start a brand new IBD Nurse Education Programme in 2018. This programme is being developed collaboratively by N-ECCO and the ECCO Education Committee.