'Nurses should update knowledge on regular basis'

Professor in the Department of Neonatology at KMC, Manipal, Dr Leslie Edward Lewis said multidisciplinary approach in healthcare is similar to a football team, which includes strikers, defenders and goalkeepers.

Participating in a one-day seminar on ‘Trends in Healthcare’ organised for first year MSc (Nursing) students of Manipal College of Nursing at Sri Sai Baba Hall here recently, he said,  “A doctor is a striker in the healthcare system. If he scores, it is the collaborative effort of all the team members. The nurses, therefore, have a very significant role to play in a patient’s improvement.”

He spoke about how children on ventilators are taken care of and also dwelt upon multidisciplinary approach with an aim to make the child comfortable.

Speaking after inaugurating the seminar, Medical Superintendent and COO of Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, Col (Dr) M Dayananda said nurses should update their knowledge on a regular basis as healthcare is rapidly changing. The nurses are closely associated with delivering healthcare, he remarked. He encouraged the participants to take up research on the topics being discussed in the seminar.
 Professor of Cardiology, KMC, Manipal, Dr Tom Devasia spoke on the causes and various treatment modalities for detection of cardiovascular disorders early among youth.

Dr Blessy Prabha Valsaraj, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatric Nursing, MCON, Manipal, said depression has become a major problem among the youth.

“A study conducted on 2000 adolescents in Udupi district in 2013 showed that 44 per cent of adolescent depression. It was higher than that of the elderly. Imbalance in needs may lead to depression. The other are causes loss of someone who is very close, stressful life event or crisis, illness and family history. More boys are affected than girls. Depression among youngsters is a major issue these days due to study-related problems, wrong choices, lack of motivation, overload, faulty study practices, habits, family issues like broken family, financial issue, loss of  loved ones etc," Dr Valsaraj observed.