I speculate again. Soon, we’ll know.
The author visits Turkey, where he shares his thoughts on complementary therapies—more specifically, how to properly publish studies about them.
HULL, United Kingdom—I have speculated in recent entries about the possibility that a particular visit to Europe could be my last while the UK is still—politically—part of the Continent. And I speculate again. I am writing this the day after the UK Parliament met on a Saturday for the first time since 1982, an occasion necessitated by the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands. At this moment, I know which way the vote has gone at Westminster—the government lost—but there remains great uncertainty about whether the prime minister can realize his stated aim of achieving Brexit by the end of the month. Next time I post an entry, we’ll know.
Turkey
Turkey, if not politically part of Europe, is at least partly in Europe geographically. I was there, at Ege University in Izmir, to give a keynote at the 2nd International and 4th National Congress on Complementary and Supportive Care Practices. I didn’t address the topic of complementary therapies directly. I was asked to speak about how to get studies in complementary therapies published. Essentially, I said there could be no compromise on good designs, study registration (must comply with AllTrials guidelines), and publication (must conform to EQUATOR standards). You can listen to this lecture at my podcast site. My visit was very short, but I enjoyed catching up with some longtime friends in Izmir, and I passed through the new and very impressive Istanbul New Airport.
Italy
Together with Hull colleague Mark Hayter, PhD, RN, FAAN, I made my final visit for the year to the University of Genoa in Italy. We continue to collaborate on a wide range of projects, including the Italian leg of the RN4CAST project. The 2nd International Conference of the Genoa University Nursing Honor Society had been held the week before. The gathering was addressed by Marie-Louise Luiking, MANP, RN, of the Netherlands, president of Sigma’s Rho Chi at-Large Chapter. The Genoa University Nursing Honor Society has applied for chapter status and expects to hear early next year if it has achieved it. I’m very pleased to have played a part in all this, however small, by putting Genovese colleagues in contact with Sigma’s Phi Mu Chapter in England, where they were inducted before taking things forward in Italy.
United States and China
This week I will be in Washington, D.C., again with Mark Hayter, where we will see colleagues from the UK, Finland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan inducted as fellows of the American Academy of Nursing. A notable recipient this year is Brendan McCormack, PhD, RN, FRCN, a member of Sigma’s International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame. After many years of encouraging him to consider applying for the academy fellowship, I am very glad to have co-sponsored him.
Then I go to China for five weeks on a High-End Foreign Expert Scholarship from the government of Hubei Province. I must arrive at and leave from Wuhan, capital of the province, and spend some time at Wuhan Polytechnic University, which sponsored me. Otherwise, I have visits arranged for other cities across China, including Yangzhou University, with which the University of Hull has a joint undergraduate nursing program.
Sadly, I will be on my own for this long visit. Mrs. Watson obtained a visa for traveling to China with me but then succumbed to acute lower-back pain. To avoid a series of long-haul flights and transporting luggage between airplanes and trains, she has decided to remain in the UK. My next entry will be from China. RNL
Roger Watson, PhD, RN, FRCP Edin, FRCN, FAAN, professor of nursing at the University of Hull in the United Kingdom and a frequent visitor to Australia and China, where he has visiting positions, is editor-in-chief of JAN and editor of Nursing Open. Click here to access Blogger-resident entries posted before 2017 in Watson’s former blog “Hanging smart.”