Conference Exhibitee to Exhibitor

 

25 years ago I was a continence advisor attending the ACA conference, if I was asked back then what I would be doing now I wouldn’t have said running my own company and exhibiting at conference.

The first ACA conference I attended was in Scarborough, having previously worked in a hospital environment and been appointed as a continence advisor in the community attending a conference was very different if not a little overwhelming.

Back then the ACA conference was run differently, each branch took turns to organise the annual conference. I remember being on the organisers committee when the London branch hosted the conference in Bournemouth and I am still in possession of my t-shirt.

As a clinician I looked to the ACA conference to update my clinical skills and also my knowledge of the products on the market, not just new products but to refresh myself on existing lines. It was a great opportunity to network with other clinicians and to reflect on my practice and not forgetting collecting post-it notes and pens!

As an exhibitor many of my objectives remain the same, I still look to keep my knowledge up to date and enjoy listening to some of the speakers of areas within continence and urology which are still of interest to me.

Exhibiting at a conference for any company is a big financial commitment, however, it can be beneficial. As a small company, we have to weigh up the benefits of supporting a conference, I do not have a salesforce so conferences enable me to see clinicians whom I may not have met and to catch up with those I haven’t had the opportunity to visit for a while. However, I often leave conferences disappointed when I look at the delegate list and note that only a fraction of the attendees have visited. As clinicians roles are forever changing keeping abreast of all products within the speciality of continence and urology can only improve patient care.

It is easy to be lured to the big stands, however it is often the smaller companies who bring to market innovative niche products which can bridge a gap and make the biggest impact on the patient.

Please try and take time to visit all the stands big or small as you never know what could be lurking in the corners…..

Review of silver-coated urinary catheters

The aim of this report is to review published information on the subject of silver-coated urinary catheters and to establish whether manufacturer's claims about the benefits of silver coatings are supported by current evidence.

See full details here: http://medidex.com/research/830-silver-coated-catheters-full-article.html 

WyCath H2O Intermittent Female Catheterisation

WyCath H2O Intermittent Catheterisation Male

WyCath Mitrofanoff Soft Tip Catheter

Yes I know, you aren't meant to advertise on blogs, but when you are competing against the Goliath's of this world, David has to have a voice. Therefore we are shouting from the roof tops our latest addition to the Wymedical range of catheters.

The WyCath Mitrofanoff Soft Tip Catheter, as the name suggests I’ve designed for specific use for Mitrofanoff users who have undergone the surgery and need to drain their bladders through their belly button.

I designed this catheter to help with the insertion into what is often a difficult track and the combination of a soft tip catheter with a slight tapered tip I believe will help navigate the track effectively. Don’t however take my word for it we already have several users who like the catheter and have switched from leading brands due to the soft tip.

The four eyelets in the catheter helps where increased drainage is required and the spacing of the eyelets is designed to prevent the end of the catheter from bending unnecessarily while navigating the Mitrofanoff track.

I hope this helps the people who are unfortunate to have to undergo this often difficult procedure and provide some comfort when catheterising through their stoma.

More details on the catheter can be found here:

http://www.wymedical.com/res/WyCath-Mitrofanoff-Soft-Tip-Catheter.pdf

If you would like more information on the Mitrofanoff procedure then go to our page on the website:

http://www.wymedical.com/cystoplasty-mitrofanoff.php

How are urinary catheters sized?

I'm often asked how are urinary catheters sized and what do the different colour funnels on the catheters mean?

Indwelling and intermittent catheters are sized using a number system and maybe denoted by Charriere (Ch), French gauge (Fg) or French (Fr).

1 Ch, Fg or Fr is equal to 1/3rd of a millimetre therefore a size 12ch would be 4 mm in diameter, measuring the outside width of the catheter tubing.

Each Ch, Fg and Fr is also given a colour coding so identification can be distinguished at a glance.

This sizing is universal, on indwelling foley catheters the size should be written somewhere on the catheter near where it connects to the drainage bag.

Intermittent catheters can be coded by having a coloured funnel. Wymedical catheters and dilators can be differentiated by the different coloured funnels.

Catheter Sizing

Catheter Funnel Colours

What is best practice?

I have been around for nearly 30 years within the field of urology and continence in various different roles. From specialist nurse in urology and setting up a continence advisory service within the NHS to nursing and sales roles or large and smaller companies before choosing to set up Wymedical.

Setting up my own company has been enjoyable if not challenging but one thing that really comes to the forefront is ‘What is best practice?’

When I started my RGN nurse training at Westminster hospital in London attention to detail and best practice were instilled in us, every ward and department had a procedure folder where you could refresh your knowledge. In this day and age you are expected under the NMC code http://www.nmc-uk.org/The-revised-Code/ to ‘Always practise in line with the best available evidence’ yet I continuously come across nurses and carers carrying out procedures differently to how I would have undertaken them. So this comes back to the question, ‘What is best practice?’ and then adds further questions such as ‘How is best practice monitored? Along with ‘Where do people go to gain knowledge?’

I am passionate about wanting to maintain best practice and improve practices, my first step is writing this blog which I hope will get people thinking and provoke discussions in different aspects of continence and urology.