By Kateřina Hašová, Nurse at Klinika hematoonkologie at Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava in Ostrava
and Klára Kabátová-Maxová, Nurse at Hematologicko-onkologické oddělení at Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň in Plzen
The initial idea for the formation of the Czech EBMT Nurses Group was the idea of re-establishing the Eastern Forum Nurses Group, which dates back to 2006. Unfortunately, this group did not last and gradually disappeared in 2012. Based on this idea, in 2023, the EBMT Nurses Group member Ms. Julia Ruíz Pato and the Global Education Committee, approached the Central and Eastern European Nurses to see if they would like to form a new Central and Eastern European Nurses Group. However, after a joint online meeting and discussion we came to the conclusion that not only the language barrier but also the great distance between the countries would divide us. With this came the idea of creating a Czech national group of nurses.
We started discussing this initiative first between two transplant centres in Pilsen and Ostrava. In general, we have been cooperating with the EBMT Nurses Group for many years based on the successful EBMT Meetings that have already taken place in the Czech Republic.
Initially we had to deal with how to legislate for this group of nurses. After a number of discussions, the decision was made to include this group of nurses as part of the Czech Society of Haematology.
In the context of major haematology conferences across the Czech Republic, we approached the chief nurses of other transplant centres in the Czech Republic with an offer to become part of the Czech national group of nurses. Currently and all transplant centres in the Czech Republic have joined.
The priority and goal of the Czech EBMT Nurses Group is to improve the care of patients (including donors and relatives) undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation or other hematological treatment or cell therapy. We also want to emphasize the education and development of non-physicians who are part of and involved in the provision of haematology and transplantation care.
In pursuit of this goal, our group intends to promote and develop this area of nursing in the Czech Republic, and to support and coordinate educational programs for nurses and allied health professionals involved in the care of patients undergoing HCT. We will support the development and participation in joint research projects and, where appropriate, seek to ensure the multicentre nature of research. Provide cross-centre sharing of protocols and seek consensus on selected issues of care in the context of JACIE accreditation. We welcome the offer of exchange programs for nurses involved in the care of HCT patients. We would like to establish contacts with other national EBMT NG groups through the nurses who are the link between these national groups.
Our collaboration is just beginning. The first joint meeting will be part of a major haematology conference, the 25th Prague Haematology Days in January 2025.
The road to the formation of our Czech group was quite long. We would like to thank the EBMT Nurses Group and their President Michelle Kenyon, the president of the Czech Society of Hematology profesor MUDr. Pavel Žák, Ph.D. and the committee member Ing. Mgr. Petra Kouřilová.
