Global Nursing Project

C3 and partners issue a call to nurses everywhere:
join and lead the fight against chronic disease

As the world faces a massive increase in the levels of death and disability resulting from chronic disease, there is an urgent need for nurses everywhere to engage with their colleagues, communities and all sectors to address this growing threat to global health and development. Statistics now show that 60 per cent of deaths globally are due to non-communicable diseases, with 80 per cent occurring in low- and middle-income countries. C3 Collaborating for Health, with the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Pfizer External Medical Affairs, and the International Alliance of Patient Organizations, are calling on nurses everywhere to move to action, to stem this pandemic of chronic disease.

This coalition provides a unique opportunity to mobilise the global nursing workforce and bring together a multinational group of players contributing different perspectives and expertise in the fight against chronic disease. The coalition is working together to explore a range of nurse-led options and interventions to:

• raise awareness among nurses, communities and policy-makers of the extent of the chronic disease challenge;
• support the development, implementation and evaluation of country plans aimed at mobilising the nursing workforce;
• share and build on existing initiatives to promote health and wellbeing and prevent chronic disease;
• support the dissemination and implementation of effective evidence-based prevention interventions;
• identify how nurses can best contribute to the prevention, care, treatment and management of chronic disease; and
• support nurses in improving their own health and wellbeing and that of their families.

This work builds on an earlier meeting, held in South Africa in 2007, jointly organised with DENOSA (the South African nurses’ association) and ICN, to bring nurses together to discuss the prevention of chronic, non-communicable diseases. For more on this initial meeting, click here >>

Washington meeting

The latest steps in harnessing the power of the global nursing workforce in the fight against chronic disease were a two-day meeting of leading experts and nurses from six countries – Malta, Panama, Slovenia, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States – as well as the engagement of nurses in the Philippines and United Arab Emirates.

The meeting took place in Washington DC on 24–25 June 2010, and a full report and presentations are available here >>

Thai nurses in the UK

Christine spoke at De Montfort University to 12 nurses who hold senior positions in the Colleges of Nursing in the Praboromrajchanok Institute, Thailand, as civil servants responsible for health issues. They were in Leicester for a five-week summer programme. Christine told them the latest information from WHO about NCDs globally, and in Thailand and the UK where there were some stark differences: WHO latest statistics show that while about 24% of British people are obese, only 3% of Thai men and 10% of Thai women are obese. Thai people also consumed less alcohol than the British – but the smoking statistics were the most interesting: 25% of British people smoke compared with 2% of Thai women and 43% of Thai men, and three times as many Thai boys smoke as British young men.

Further information was given to them about the health of the people of Leicester, where they were for several weeks and where the large Indian population has a very high level of diabetes.  There was then a good discussion about the three risk factors and how to prevent chronic disease.

Next steps

C3 and its partners will provide ongoing support and monitoring to the countries as they develop and implement their country plans and mobilise their nursing workforce.  Feedback and evaluation of progress will take place during the forthcoming ICN Conference  in Malta in May 2011, and it is expected that the programme will be further expanded to increase the number of countries involved and to reach the millions of nurses worldwide.