End of year update
The Northern Ireland Obstetric Anaesthesia Network (NIOAN) was born in 2015 and includes anaesthetic representation from each of the trusts with obstetric units in Northern Ireland. Its aim is to develop close relationships between obstetric anaesthetists in the region and to foster education and discussion on issues related to obstetric anaesthesia. We hold quarterly committee meetings, which are currently chaired by Dr Damien Hughes.
In addition, NIOAN has adopted the RCoA approved annual obstetric study day which had for many years been organised by the Northern Ireland Society of Anaesthetists (NISA) obstetric group. NIOAN has now run two successful events with this year’s meeting planned for 12th April 2019. We are hoping for another success with a fantastic line-up of speakers. In the past we have had excellent attendance from both trainees and consultants, and received very positive feedback. At our most recent meeting we opened attendance to our obstetric colleagues and this year we would like to announce an invitation to our midwifery and nursing colleagues.
Our most recent study day began with the competitive trainee oral presentation session, where trainees present either an interesting case, audit or quality improvement project. The most recent winner being Dr Helen Murray who represented the Ulster Hospital. She presented a decade of experience with Remifentanil PCA for labour analgesia. The middle session consisted of local consultant specialists from Northern Ireland educating us on relevant neurological, cardiac and renal disease in pregnancy. This was very informative and useful for our clinical practice. In the final session Dr Terry Tan and Dr Anne Doherty, both from Dublin, spoke about ultrasound in labour ward and pyrexia in the parturient respectively, followed by Dr Dave Gabbott from Gloucester who presented the evidence on optimising CPR success in pregnancy.
In May 2018 we were delighted to host the OAA Annual Scientific Meeting in Belfast. This international meeting was incredibly successful attracting delegates from all over the world. A wide range of both local and international speakers covered diverse topics such as neonatal outcomes, communication on labour ward and medical conditions in pregnancy.
Looking to the future, our next study day is on 12th April in the Hilton Hotel in Templepatrick. Booking is now open through our website and we hope to see you there.
