Overview
I have attended a three-day medical conference on the topic of women’s health. It took place from February 23 to 25 and was located at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida. The program included talks on a variety of topics related to women’s health. It was aimed at physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals. I found the conference to be highly beneficial to my knowledge of the topic and felt that some of the critical competencies of my profession were improved by this scholarly activity.
Problem
The conference touched upon a wide range of topics and issues. On the first day, the issues of abnormal uterine bleeding, hormone replacement therapy during the menopausal transition, breast cancer screenings, osteoporosis, and management of obesity were touched upon. While all the talks were presented with a high degree of professionalism, the most informative topic for me personally was the use of breast cancer screenings. In recent years the levels of breast cancer awareness grew exponentially, but the issue of disease is still present. The preventable nature of breast cancer makes breast screenings an essential procedure for all women at risk. This conference talk was able to present a very clear method of educating the patient on the importance of breast cancer screenings.
The new data on the effectiveness of early screenings that were presented during the talk showed that nurses and physicians are capable of having a great effect on the prevention rate of breast cancer (Florence & Winnie, 2018). Day two and three also touched upon such topics as management of abnormal pap smears, management of high-risk HPV, thyroid disorders in women, depression, and anxiety disorders. All of the talks concerned women at risk of developing these conditions and provided best practices of how they may be addressed. The talk on depression in women was also a standout for me as I have encountered this issue on multiple occasions both in my professional practice and private life (Jafari, Goudarzian, & Nesami, 2018). The information presented at the conference was of an educational variety, but it inspired me to be more attentive to such patients.
Solution
As a solution to increasing the prevention rate of breast cancer through screenings, the conference presented a multitude of options. The most commonly used one is an organization of awareness programs that provide breast cancer screenings for a free or discounted price to promote health. Approaching public figures to promote screenings is also seen as a valuable method of increasing the prevention rate. During the talk, a variety of real-life examples of public figures participating in breast cancer awareness programs were presented, and the results showed an increase in breast cancer screenings. The talk on depression presented only a few practices which included paying closer attention to patients that either have a history of depression or show signs of developing it. Education on the danger of certain antidepressants was also cited as an important element of care.
Opportunity
This conference provided an opportunity for people of the medical profession to gain the most recent information about women’s health. The main objectives of the conference were to educate the professional community about a variety of women’s medical conditions and how to address them in everyday practice. These goals were met in my opinion, and I found a lot of new information about the presented topics.
Program Competencies Addressed
The conference gave me a lot of information about my professional role, nursing practice in general, and holistic patient care. The variety of topics especially helped benefit me on a larger scale.
References
Florence, W. M., & Winnie, C. L. (2018). A survey: Knowledge about breast cancer and health beliefs towards screening practice among menopausal and postmenopausal women. GSTF Journal of Nursing and Health Care (JNHC), 5(1), 1–5.
Jafari, A., Goudarzian, A. H., & Nesami, M. B. (2018). Depression in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review of Cross-Sectional Studies in Iran. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 19(1), 1–7.