ECCO: Nurse Representatives – Focus on France
Tania Hermoso and Audrey Borel
 Tania Hermoso © Tania Hermoso |
 Audrey Borel © Audrey Borel |
Tania Hermoso and Audrey Borel are both IBD Nurses, working in Paris, and designated N-ECCO National Representatives for France since 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Until recently, there was no formal training for nurses wishing to specialise in IBD, and the position of an IBD Nurse is not officially recognised by the French health system. “In France, the main challenge is to gain recognition for the IBD Nurse role and to legally validate training for advanced practice nurses in IBD,” says Audrey.
However, the creation of MICIDEC (Maladies Inflammatoires Chronique de l’Intestin), the association of IBD Nurses in 2020, has helped to raise awareness of the importance of our role within a multidisciplinary team and encouraged centres to organise specific training sessions for non-medical staff caring for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in which nurses can participate.
Indeed, France is hosting the current ECCO IBD Nurse Education Programme for 25 nurses, with online training using the ECCO e-learning platform and two face to face meetings in June 2024 & 2025 in Paris; and in September 2024, MICIDEC organised a special day for nurses to harmonise practices.
MICIDEC’s mission is to gain recognition for the IBD Nurse profession from national authorities, and supports nurses’ access to training courses and congresses as well as IBD Nurse research. It also helps streamline patients' journeys across the country by providing a reference point and contacts when patients are transferred to other regions or elsewhere.
The association's takes a leading role in promoting the connectivity between its 50 professionally and geographically diverse IBD Nurse members, enabling nurses to get in touch with each other, to share practices and problems encountered in daily activities.
As N-ECCO National Representatives, this connectivity goes beyond France, as Tania and Audrey regularly participate in ECCO networking meetings with IBD Nurses from around the world, to exchange experiences and knowledge, as well as challenges, which, Tania notes, “In the end, are more or less the same in all countries. Our aim should be to find solutions together.”
Certainly, there are opportunities to work together and accelerate the reach of information. “We act as a link to the N-ECCO Committee for all nurses in France who are interested in IBD,” says Audrey, who helps translate information, such as the N-ECCO Consensus Statements, “...to try to achieve a consensus in France”. Tania believes that the wide range of training and information provided by ECCO is very beneficial, “It offers a source of guidance that we can apply as we attempt to unify our clinical practices within France.”
N-ECCO National Representatives are the focal point for N-ECCO School applications, as well as responsible for sharing the annual call for proposals for the N-ECCO Travel Award, and the N-ECCO Research Grants for IBD Nurses in their national networks. Is it a lot of work then on top of the day job? “I accepted the role with pleasure because I enjoy working in networks.” Audrey acknowledges, “I constantly strive to evolve my practices and skills by taking on new challenges.”