Healthcare 2.0: Focus on nurses
Healthcare 2.0: Focus on nurses
Perhaps the chief political issue gripping the nation for the past year has been President Barack Obama’s proposed reform of the healthcare system. With this in mind, swissnex Boston assembled a panel of experts from Switzerland and the USA in front of a packed house.
Speakers included: Former Director of the Federal Office of Public Health Thomas Zeltner; Professor at HECVSante Beatrice Despland; Boston College’s Dean of the William F. Connell School of Nursing Susan Gennaro; Professor of Nursing at HEdS La Source Blaise Guinchard; and Associate Chief Nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital Theresa Gallivan.
Speakers explored and compared the healthcare systems of both countries to propose the most effective ways of “Inventing the Healthcare System of the Future,” particularly as these related to nursing. They concurred that any healthcare reform must be approached systematically and continually rather than individually and drastically. They also reasoned that there must be a focus not only on educating and hiring more nurses to buttress the nation’s hospitals, but also on recognizing the quality of nurses’ output and improving their workplaces.
Following the presentations and a short Q&A with the audience, swissnex Boston hosted all of the guests in a networking reception. While enjoying hors d’oeuvres and wine, guests interacted one-on-one with the speakers the evening’s knowledge exchange on this burning topic of nursing and healthcare reform augmenting.
