Amsterdam/Rotterdam,
04
September
2018
|
11:52
Europe/Amsterdam

ANP Master’s student Jacoline van der Hek wins Best Master's Thesis 2018 award

Earlier this week Jacoline van der Hek took home the prize for Best Masters Thesis 2018. The Inholland Masters student in Advanced Nursing Practice carried out her graduation project on a new screening instrument in geriatric oncology, which earned her the honour of Best Masters Thesis among nurse specialists who completed their studies in 2018.A wonderful start to my career as a nurse specialist, says the delighted winner.

Jacoline received the award during the 10th ICN NP/APN congres in Rotterdam, presented by the professional association V&VN VS for Nurse Specialists. Jacoline: ‘I was pleasantly surprised that I was nominated for the best Master’s thesis of 2018 and given the opportunity to present my innovation research in a pitch. It was great to win the award after that! In addition to the plaque and a festive bouquet of flowers, I also won a cash prize and an honourable mention in the trade journal Dé Verpleegkundig Specialist. A wonderful start to my career as a nurse specialist.’

A suitable intervention for a current problem in the field
Jacoline’s supervising lecturer Esther Hospes shares words of praise: ‘In her innovation project, Jacoline identified a relevant and current practical problem and implemented a suitable intervention in a professional and decisive manner. The results of her research are extremely relevant in practice and it’s great that her work has also been rewarded with this thesis prize.’

Alongside ten students from other universities of applied sciences, Jacoline had the honour of pitching her research in Rotterdam. For her study, which focused on the nursing care of elderly patients with cancer, she implemented a screening instrument to determine patients’ vulnerability prior to the oncology treatment decision. Her conclusion is positive in the sense that her screening instrument leads to an increase in the number of referrals for a comprehensive geriatric assessment.

As a result of ageing, the growing incidence of cancer and the increasing survival rate, the number of elderly oncology patients is rising. Levels of vitality and vulnerability vary within this group. Conducting a ‘comprehensive geriatric assessment’ (CGA) is recommended in order to identify those elderly patients who are at greater risk of complications and toxicity. ‘In the innovation project I developed with the help of a project group as a nurse specialist in training at the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, the validated screening instrument called “G8” was introduced. The G8 screening instrument can determine which patients aged 70 and older would benefit from a CGA.’

Connection to The Healthy Society vision
The project ties in with The Healthy Society vision of Inholland University of Applied Sciences. It is focused on optimising treatment and care for the growing group of elderly people with cancer. The CGA demonstrates a comprehensive view of people, in which a patient’s care-related needs are examined from a somatic, psychological, functional and social perspective. Based on the CGA, geriatric interventions are formulated which aim to promote self-management and empower elderly patients and their loved ones.

The innovation project creates a bridge between the specialisms of oncology and gerontology. This corresponds to interprofessional collaboration, a key point in The Healthy Society vision document. Oncology nurse specialists can take on a bridging role in this regard due to their involvement throughout the entire treatment process and their knowledge of both nursing and medical care. This makes it possible for supporting interventions from both domains to be implemented and monitored.

Presentations by other Masters students
In addition to Jacoline, four other ANP Master’s students from Inholland had the chance to present their abstracts, or the summaries of their research. One of these students was Peter van der Voort, who collaborated with Inholland’s research focus area for mental health care nursing to investigate whether ‘peer support group’ meetings can strengthen the social network of homosexual asylum seekers so that they will develop fewer psychological problems. Another student, Nancy Karimberg-Turkstra, studied whether the 4D communication model leads to more satisfied patients and fewer frequent visitors at GP practices.

Ellen van der Stelt-Geudeke researched how sex education is provided within various health clinics at centres for asylum seekers. Her aim is to help improve such education in light of the growing number of Eritrean asylum seekers who have unintentionally fallen pregnant in recent years. Lastly, Ilse Oltmann studied the extent to which the TENS intervention reduces pain in patients with chronic pain.

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