Leading patient and professional education: challenges for a specialist nurse in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinical nurse specialists (CNS) play a leading role in the education of patients and other health professionals in primary and secondary care, where interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is essential. Ensuring that this education is up-to-date and delivered equitably is a difficult task with limited resources. This retrospective report describes the activities and procedures developed by a paediatric IBD CNS in South West England to lead education, incorporating IPC and transformational leadership skills. Shared understanding, education and the overall effectiveness of the service was enhanced with various communication activities with other professionals, patients and their carers. Online resources from charities, if vetted and updated, were an effective source of unified information. The limitations of online resources and individual preferences had to be addressed. Family away-days and patient support groups were used to educate patients and carers, as well as to engage them with the department and other peers. Educating staff was pursued through sharing written resources (including policies and guidelines) and enhanced by mentoring and facilitating discussion at local, regional and international levels. Effective collaboration across teams and with other stakeholders is imperative for providing the necessary standard of education for IBD patients and the professionals involved in their care. The CNS should use transformational skills to promote IPC and should have a clear understanding of the context in which they are implementing an educational plan. Nursing resources and innovative actions and procedures that embrace new emerging technologies are needed for the CNS to create efficient and individualised educational strategies.