The 4th IVPN (Intravenous and Parenteral Nutrition) symposium was held on November 16 & 17, 2018. PharmD students Noor Sadiq, Dalia Al Saeedy, Hisham Ashmouny and Nourhan Khaled wrote their reflection below about the symposium.
Attending the IVPN Symposium in Abu Dhabi this November was an enlightening experience in many ways. Although the conference lasted a mere two days, so much had happened and so much information was absorbed that by its conclusion, we emerged with a new outlook on parenteral nutrition. All in all, it was a great success. We would like to take this chance to reflect upon our experiences in Abu Dhabi and summarize in what ways this conference helped us adopt a different viewpoint and perspective on the healthcare sector.
To start off, we had the personal hhonourof meeting many professionals in different levels of their career; from our own colleagues to experienced veterans. All came from different backgrounds, different corners of the world, and many did not reside full-time in the UAE; yet all were connected via IVPN’s intricate network. The familiarity associated with being part of such a massive network filled us with a sense of awe, and we aspired to be part of it one day.
We found the sessions delivered by the IVPN committee members to be very enjoyable. However, the most notable session was the one given by Dr. Osama Tabbara. After all, one cannot speak of attending the IVPN conference without attending his much-anticipated session, Back to Basics: Parenteral Nutrition 101. This was especially convenient for students such as ourselves; we received an informative and insightful introduction into parenteral nutrition, in essence, the foundation of which the entire symposium was based on. In addition to that, the session covered by Dr. Amar Hijazi, titled Medication Process Perspective in Journey Towards HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7, gave a brief account of the HIMSS stages, which until recently was completely unbeknownst to us. Among the HIMSS stages, Stage 7 is the highest ever achieved, and is rarely found to be implemented in hospitals. We came to learn that Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is the only hospital in the UAE that has successfully achieved that.
Another topic that piqued our interest in the conference was the topic of robotics and the role technology plays in healthcare. The wide consensus is that technology is meant to decrease costs and increase efficiency, and Dr. Michael Freudiger gave his personal insight and recommendations in favor of that viewpoint during his session, Implementation of IV Robotics & IV Workflow System. It was in that moment that we realized how far technology has gotten us. However, it was also interesting to hear opposing opinions from Dr. John Fanikos, who challenged the purported increased efficiency of technology implementation in healthcare during his session, From Evidence to Practice. Dr. Madhu Sasidhar further elaborated in that matter along with the ethical challenges it poses during his session, Your Doctor May Not be Human: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.
To conclude, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks for the event organizers and the ones who made this symposium possible. We are grateful for the beneficial experience we gained during this two-day event and hope to further increase our network and maintain good rapport with IVPN members.