Nursing experts discuss regional healthcare challenges in Amman

AMMAN – Recognising the role of nurses as the “backbone” of the healthcare system, leaders in the profession are examining the needs and challenges of nurses in the region.

Experts from 22 countries convened in Amman on Monday for the Global Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Research Development Initiative Summit, which is organised by the Columbia Global Centres in Amman and New York’s Columbia University School of Nursing.

In her opening remarks, HRH Princess Muna noted that the “ever-changing” healthcare environment and the development of technologies require thorough evidence-based research evaluations.

“The demands are enormous and so are the gaps in knowledge…. There is a need for efforts to establish clinical research programmes according to priorities and needs,” said Princess Muna, the president of the Jordanian Nursing Council. 

She commended the role of the initiative in responding to demographic changes and discrepancies in healthcare systems in the region. 

Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab cited the academic progress made by Jordan in nursing as a science, such as the increase in the number of nursing faculties and the number of PhD holders in the field. 

“Jordan has provided the local and regional market with competent nurses,” he said.

According to Jennifer Dohrn, the director of the Office of Global Initiatives at Columbia University School of Nursing, the two-day summit is bringing nursing and midwifery leaders from across the Eastern Mediterranean to “map out how to improve people’s health throughout the region, especially in the midst of war and political upheaval”.       

Participants at the summit are expected to identify regional clinical nursing and midwifery research priorities and come up with an action plan to address obstacles facing researchers.

In previous remarks,  Safwan Masri, the director of the Columbia Global Centres in Amman, said staying focused on basic human needs was often forgotten in the midst of turmoil and instability.

“Bringing experienced voices from the nursing and midwifery field to the forefront of the regional discourse on healthcare is instrumental in supporting the improvement of services available on the ground,” Masri said.