The mission of the International Home Care Nurses Organization (IHCNO) is to develop and support a vibrant worldwide network of nurses who promote excellence in providing optimal healthcare to patients living in their homes. International nurses practicing in home healthcare interact with patients, families, and colleagues of multiple religious, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic heritages. The IHCNO advances home care nursing around the world by providing a platform where nurses support and learn from one another while respecting one another's difference and not allowing biases to influence the care provided. Diversity provides an opportunity for nurses to value and respect differences and to grow through experiences while caring for patients and families from multiple cultures. At present, approximately 700 international home care nurses who live and work in multiple countries are part of the IHCNO network. The IHCNO board and members are interested in interacting with transcultural nurses worldwide.
The Transcultural Nursing Society's (TCNS) website states its mission is "To enhance the quality of culturally congruent, competent and equitable care that results in improved health and well-being for people worldwide." Given that both IHCNO and TCNS have an international focus, several IHCNO board members submitted an abstract for a poster presentation at the 47th Annual Conference of the Transcultural Nurses Society in Albuquerque, New Mexico in October 2021. The abstract was accepted, and three board members attended the conference to share the poster titled: "Encouraging High-Quality, Equitable Care for Home Health Patients Around the Globe." The poster shared information on the IHCNO, mission, goals, activities, and introduced the 10 board members from the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and Singapore. The poster listed some of the IHCNO activities:
* Offering a home care related research grant in 2020 and 2021.
* IHCNO's collaboration with The DAISY Foundation.
* Recognizing the first IHCNO DAISY Awardee.
* Development of International Guidelines for Home Health Nursing Practice in conjunction with the American Nurses Association.
* Providing resources on the http://www.IHCNO.org website.
* Offering opportunities to network with home care nurses around the world.
* Providing volunteer opportunities to serve on committees such as research, education, communications, and fundraising.
Mary Narayan, PhD, RN, HHCNS-BC, CTN-A, a former IHCNO board member and current member of the advisory council was invited to present her research at the conference: "Are Nurses Providing the Culture-Sensitive/Patient-Centered Care (CS/PC) Needed in a Multicultural World?" (Narayan & Mallinson, 2021). Dr. Narayan's research identified similarities and differences in the attitudes, knowledge, and skills between transcultural nurses and home health nurses in their efforts to provide CS/PC assessment and care planning.
I appreciated this opportunity to attend the TCNS annual program and interact with and learn from the board of directors and attendees from around the world during breakfast, breaks, informal conversations, and at the gala awards dinner. Visit http://www.IHCNO.org for more information.
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