The University Centre for Nursing and Midwifery

Presentation of unit

The UCVV has a mission in education, research and scientific and social services for nursing, mental health nursing and midwifery. What ties the realisation of this mission together are partnership, creativity, sustainability, cooperation with patients and representatives of patient organisations, and a focus on social relevance.

The UCVV strives to train talented and creative nurses and midwives for the future who can take up leadership in care. By organising the Master's degree in Nursing and Midwifery, we make a fundamental contribution to the quality of care and to the academisation of nursing and midwifery.

By focusing on developing, validating and valorising scientific knowledge, the UCVV wants to create a more responsible, evidence-based and efficient healthcare and care organisation. Through partnership and cooperation with the broader industry, we aim to support the research competencies of professionals in the field. The UCVV uses innovative research methods and works together with governments, other knowledge institutes, health care organisations and the industry, both nationally and internationally, to carry out its mission.

Through scientific and social services, the UCVV strives to anchor itself nationally and internationally. In the context of lifelong learning, we offer a targeted training policy.

Topics

6 research areas:

  • Oncological care
  • Midwifery care
  • Education and training
  • Mental health care
  • Skin care
  • Nutritional care

These research domains all concern self-management, patient participation, care relationship and organisation, intervention development and implementation, Advanced Practice Nursing, and family care.

Main activities

Education:

Master in Nursing and Midwifery, based on 4 pillars: scientific focus, clinical focus, nursing and midwifery and health care policy.

Research:

6 research domains (cfr supra)

Scientific and social services:

lectures, scientific committees, acting as reviewer and editor of international journals and assessment committees.

List of most important projects

Oncological care

  • (P)Revalidation programme for patients with bladder cancer. 
  • Needs and support needs of patient(s) and caregiver(s) required in the guidance of low anterior resection syndrome (LARS). 
  • Supporting patients with cancer and their environment through tele-counselling and tele-monitoring: the digi-onco-poli (DOP).
  • CONTACT-studie: COllaborative Network to Take responsibility for oral AntiCancer Therapy. 

Midwifery care

  • Advanced midwifery practice (AMP). 
  • Preconception care in Flanders. 
  • Parenting stress in mothers of singletons and twins up to one year postpartum. 
  • Research into the knowledge, attitudes and practical experiences of Flemish midwives regarding miscarriage. 

Education

  • Contribution to the manual “Verpleegkundige ondersteuning bij zelfmanagement en eigen regie” (editie 2018; ISBN 9789036818674) in the chapter on support of self-management in chronic illness.

Mental healthcare

  • Patient participation in multidisciplinary team consultations in mental healthcare. 
  • Mental health nurses’ role and contributions in the interdisciplinary care for individuals suffering from suicidal ideation. 
  • The added value of patient expertise in nursing practice.

Skin care

Nutritional care

  • Indicators for measuring the quality of meals and meal care in residential facilities for elderly. 

Other research domains, focusing on self-management, patient participation, care relationship and organization or family care.

  • Scientific support and evaluation of pilot projects on integrated care for chronically ill patients in Belgium. 
  • Participation of patients and family members on micro level in hospitals: what is it and how can we improve? 
  • Research of the broad implementation of lean management within healthcare. 
  • The role of patients, informal and formal caregivers in clinical decision making for elderly in primary care. 
  • The impact of Bedside Shift Report on Flemish nursing departments. 
  • Transgressive behavior in health care: insight in perception, origin and implications for nursing practice. 
  • Experiences and needs of family members of patients older than 50 years with cancer of Turkish and Northwest African descent. 

 

More information about the projects

Structure or sub-divisions of the unit

Skin Integrity Research Group (SKINT): research unit within the UCVV focusing on skin care. https://www.skintghent.be/en

Most important national and international partnerships

The UCVV collaborates with a dozen of organisations in Belgium and abroad to join forces in research, education and services.

External website:

https://www.ucvvgent.be/

Contact data:

The University Centre for Nursing and Midwifery

UZ Gent, 5K3 (entrance 42), Corneel Heymanslaan 10
9000 Gent, Belgium

UCVV@UGent.be

 

Overview of all collaborators