Speakers at the Networking Forum
1400 medical experts from a total of 46
countries assembled at the 30th annual meeting of the International Continence Society,
ICS, in Tampere, Finland, August 28.
The Continence Promotion Committee, CPC, of
the ICS, arranged a Networking Forum. The CPC has the challenge to promote education,
services and public awareness about incontinence throughout the world, and to facilitate
communication, exchange of information and partnerships between continence organizations.
The Networking Forum was co-chaired by
Christine Norton, St. Mark's Hospital, Harrow, England and David Fonda, Caulfield General
Medical Centre, Vic., Australia.
Presentations of members from various national continence organisations from Australia,
the Netherlands, Korea, UK, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark and Austria outlined
major initiatives and achievements in 1999, and plans under way for 2000/2001.
The use of the
Internet and web facilities were discussed. A new issue of Continence Worldwide was
launched to the meeting. The newsletter provides a forum for exchange of news and ideas
between all the various continence related organizations. At present twenty of the
organizations have their own websites. More sites are planned. Links have been created
from Continence Worldwide to each national organization's site.
"The intention is not to duplicate the excellent information
available at those sites, but just to make them as widely accessible as possible. It seems
that an international network of information is well under way." says Christine
Norton.
"Urinary incontinence is a
common condition affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide but for which up to
70% of sufferers seek no help. Continence promotion activities must target not only the
incontinence sufferers and their families but also the general community, health
professionals, the industry that manufactures continence products and drugs, and the
government which is responsible for funding directly or indirectly various programmes.
Continence promotion programmes must therefore be sufficiently flexible to target these
groups about what incontinence is, what can be done about it, and where to get help, and
most importantly to de-stigmatise this condition. The Internet facilities, Continet,
Continence Worldwide and national organization's sites are evolving as tools to reach all
these groups." says David Fonda.
Programme
Networking Forum
Interviews with some of the speakers:
Chris
Norton, nurse specialist, St. Mark’s Hospital, Harrow, Great Britain
Ilan
E. Gruenwald, urologist, The National Centre for Continence, Haifa, Israel
Jill
Brown, physiotherapist, New Zealand Continence Association, New Zealand
Edward
Leung, professor, Hong Kong Continence Society
Jeanette
Haslam, physiotherapist, Association for Continence Advice & European Network of
Continence Organization, UK & Germany
Links to
each national organization's site
|