Between May 27^th / 28^th 2010, Dr. Aidah Alkaissi, Head Lecturer at the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Linköping, Intensive Care Nurse (ICU) at the University Hospital of Linköping, and the dean and head lecturer at An-Najah National University, Palestine, participated in the ANIVA National Congress which was held in the city of Linkoping, Sweden.

In the conference, Dr. Alkaissi delivered a lecture on evidence-based management of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and post discharge nausea and vomiting (PDNV) in adults and children undergoing surgery who are at increased risk for PONV. These guidelines identify risk factors for nausea and vomiting (PONV) in adults and children and recommend strategies to reduce the baseline risk of PONV.

The guidelines provide the most effective antiemetic mono-and combination treatment of PONV, prophylax and recommended methods for the treatment of PONV when it occurs and give an algorithm for the treatment of patients with increased risk of PONV and PDNV.

Dr. Alkaissi highlighted the significant improvements towards better control of postoperative nausea and vomiting which have been achieved in recent years. Evidence-based practice guidelines have the potential to provide valuable information for clinicians and their patients. Not only do they provide guidance in daily life, but they also define "standard of care" for the specialty. Evidence-based guidelines developed by an International Expert Panel for managing postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults and children revealed that Patients with low risk of PONV are usually not given PONV prophylaxis unless the risk of medical sequelae of vomiting is possible. The panel agreed that recommendations for PONV prophylaxis and treatment must take into account the following factors: the patient's degree of PONV, risk of potential morbidity associated with PONV, potential adverse events associated with different antiemetics, the effect of antiemetics, increased costs for antiemetic treatment and care costs associated with PONV.

Dr. Alkaissi also stated in her presentation that for treatment of established PONV in patients who fail prophylaxis, patients should not receive a repeated dose of prophylactic antiemetics, rather, a drug appears on a different receptor should be used. In addition to six hours after surgery, patients are treated with any of the agents used for prophylaxis except dexamethasone and transdermal scopolamine.

As part of her speech, Dr. Alkaissi stressed the importance of providing information to ambulatory surgical patients on discharge of education of the patient and his family on how to use acupressure technology to manage their PDNV at home. She also mentioned that during the conference the participants called for abstracts for the coming European Federation of Critical Care Nurses Association (EfCCNa) which will be held in Kobinhagen, Denmark next year.