The Department of Nursing and Midwifery at An-Najah University held a scientific conference titled “Bridging the Gap between Scientific Evidence and Professional Practice: Investment in Learning and Teaching Midwifery”. The event was organized under the auspices of Prof. Rami Hamdallah, President of An-Najah, and sponsored by the Palestinian Nursing and Midwifery Association and the Arab Specialty Hospital. The Martyr Zafer Al-Masri Auditoriums at the Old Campus was the hosting venue for the event.

Attendees to the opening ceremony included Prof. Hamdallah, Dr. Fathi Abu Mughli, the Palestinian Minister of Health, Dr. Nitham Najeeb, Director of the Arab Specialty Hospital, in addition to Mr. Sulaiman Turkman, Head of the Palestinian Nursing and Midwifery Association, and Dr. Aidah Al-Kaissi, Head of the Nursing and Midwifery Department at An-Najah.

In his speech, Prof. Hamdallah welcomed the participants and attendants to this Conference which is held in conjunction with the celebration of the International Nurses and Midwifery Day which marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the world’s pioneering nurse. “In its quest to fulfill its message to serve the local society works continuously on providing its facilities with cutting edge equipment and supplies which contribute to the achievement of the goals for which these facilities were originally established”. Prof. Hamdallah explained.

He added that this Conference addresses the issue of bridging the gap between scientific evidence and professional practice in order to achieve quality medical care; however, there are several challenges and obstacles that this field is facing today due to many reasons especially financial ones.

Moreover, Prof. Hamdallah explained that more than 45% of those who work in the field of medical services actually work as nurses; therefore, it is reasonably necessary to work on developing their competency and potentials for their role is crucial especially in light of the expanding scope of nursing services.

He also said that the University is currently working on finishing the new Teaching Hospital which will offer advanced medical and nursing services to people through highly qualified medical and nursing staff; the Hospital will combine both medical care and teaching.

Dr. Abu Mughli said that the Teaching Hospital represents a major national achievement which will enable the Palestinian people to receive advanced and low-cost medical services. He also spoke about the importance of nursing and its important role in the medical field.

Dr. Turkman praised the great efforts An-Najah makes to provide the different Palestinian institutions with qualified staff and spoke about the reality of nursing in Palestine and the necessity to found a unified leadership for the nursing sector in the country.

Dr, Najeeb said the mission of a nurse carries a substantial human significance as nurses are concerned with ensuring the well-being of the patient.

Dr. Al-Kaissi spoke about the importance of nursing and midwifery and called upon the academic and health institutions to invest in human resources especially nurses and midwives. She also emphasized the important role of the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at An-Najah which produces highly qualified staff and specialists who contribute to the development of the medical sector and the provision of advanced nursing and midwifery services to the locals.

Despite the importance of nursing and midwifery in the life of people in Palestine, the number of graduates in this field is still very low; therefore, Dr. Al-Kaissi encouraged students to join this field so as to increase the number of nurses and midwives in Palestine.

The Conference included several papers presented by the different participants such as the “Basics of Artificial Insemination” by Dr. Salem Abu Khaizaran, “Evidence-based Practice for the Treatment of Infection and Septic Shock” by Dr. Al-Kaissi, “Evidence-based Practice for the Prevention of ventilator-related Pneumonia” by Mahdyya Al-Koni, “Investment in Teaching Nursing and Midwifery” by Najwa Subuh, “Supporting Nursing and Midwifery” by Dr. Maryam Al-Tal, “Evidence-based Practice for the Prevention of Depression” by Dr. Adnan Sarhan, and finally “Evidence-based Practice for the Prevention of Bed Sores” by Dr. Jamal.