Liver Nurse News - Dec 2022

The 3rd annual CAHNference was November 19 in Vancouver. It was the first hybrid event we have ever held, with about 80 attendees joining us in Vancouver. The theme of this year’s CAHNference was that “we are still standing” – and everyone’s attendance indeed showed that. The CAHNference kicked off Friday with a collaborative networking and dinner event with INHSU following their HCV Intervention Implementation Symposium. This triggered some riveting discussion among allied health providers and peer workers that continued throughout the weekend. The dinner presentation by Dr. Ed Tam was an engaging story of the history of hepatology with some audience participation on thoughts on where we are going in the next few years. Dr. Tam weaved in his personal history with hepatology and his long-standing connection with CAHN.

Saturday began with a keynote speaker from Calgary, Dr. Monty Ghosh, on addiction as a brain disease and how we can build greater capacity in this population. He gave us food for thought as we continue to find ways to engage this population in care. Colina Yim and Kellie Guarasci gave a whirlwind global meeting update summarizing highlights for our nurses by our fellow nurse colleagues. I’m still wondering how they managed to cram so much information into the time provided! We then heard from CAHN nurses – Julie Germain, Lisa Douglas and Sarah DeCoutere on three separate case studies and how they worked through each. Member Case Studies prove to be a CAHNference favourite every year. We strongly encourage members to step up and share their work!

The afternoon started with an interactive presentation highlighting motivational interviewing with Liam Reynolds, a social worker from Ottawa. Healthcare professionals often use this technique without knowing it; however, if we are more aware, we can continue to hone in on our patients to motivate them to make behaviour changes. The afternoon also highlighted an end-stage liver disease portion on the multidisciplinary model of care in Victoria, BC, for decompensated liver disease, presented by Rozalyn Milne, followed by Susan Allen from the other coast on optimizing patients for a liver transplant.

Thank you to our attendees and sponsors that helped make this year’s CAHNference happen. Reflecting on the weekend, I am fortunate to be amongst such a vibrant membership that thrives on collaboration. It is essential to recognize that most of the content from CAHNference was produced directly by our members, for our members. Please continue to provide feedback either formally or informally so we can continue to provide quality education and meet your learning needs. See you next year!