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EXTENDING COMMUNITY THROUGH COLLABORATION

Albuquerque-Seoul connection: Nurse researchers collaborate globally

by Eileen Thomas and Hee Sun Kang

Eileen Thomas	Hee Sun Kang

The vision of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International is “to create a global community of nurses who lead in using knowledge, scholarship, service and learning to improve the health of the world’s people.” In concert with this vision, the honor society is committed to promoting research development and dissemination, building global knowledge and research linkages that connect scholars and practitioners, and stimulating the clinical practice of nursing, guided by science. (See the honor society's Strategic Directions.)

One example of a collaborative global linkage is the one we formed after meeting in 2006 at the 17th International Nursing Research Congress in Montreal, Canada. We both have an interest in attitudes and behaviors associated with women’s breast-cancer screening. Following are our personal accounts of how that mutual interest, combined with efforts by other nurses in the Republic of Korea, resulted in a manuscript that was recently submitted to a nursing journal for publication.

Eileen Thomas:
I never thought when I boarded the plane from Albuquerque, N.M., in the United States, and headed for the research congress in Montreal, Canada, that three months later I would be starting a long-term collaborative relationship with colleagues across the Pacific Ocean and co-authoring a manuscript with nurses from South Korea.

As an African-American health care professional, I have a personal interest in minority women’s health concerns, particularly issues related to health promotion and disease prevention. Early in my doctoral program, I reviewed professional literature that focused on African-American women’s cancer beliefs and screening behaviors. My interest in the topic stems from more than 30 years of working in a variety of nursing roles and coming into contact with women with breast cancer who had been diagnosed at various stages of the disease. I saw the devastating impact it had on their lives and the lives of their families.

In reflecting on my own health-promotion behaviors, I had to admit I did not consistently follow recommended screening guidelines. This led me to question my peers about their breast-cancer screening behaviors. Many of these women also admitted to not following the guidelines. These informal conversations confirmed my belief that there must be other factors, in addition to culture, access and socioeconomics, that deter women from being screened for breast cancer.

This prompted me to further explore the incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer among ethnic minority women. The numbers were astounding. It was then that I decided to focus my research on exploring women’s experiences, attitudes and behaviors across their life spans with regard to breast-cancer screening.

In writing the conclusion of my doctoral dissertation, I stated, “Breast cancer mortality and breast-cancer screening behaviors of minority women relate not only to the larger picture of social, economic and cultural oppression, but are related to gender issues of being an ethnic minority woman in the United States.”

I was wrong. I had a limited, bird’s-eye view of the problem. After meeting Hee Sun Kang at the Montreal research congress and working with her and other colleagues in South Korea, I have learned that attitudes and behaviors of women toward health promotion related to breast cancer and breast-cancer screening are global issues that must be addressed collaboratively.

Hee Sun Kang:
Attending the 17th International Nursing Research Congress in Montreal was exciting. Meeting scholars from all around the world—nurse colleagues striving to improve the health of the world’s people—made me feel connected. During the poster session, I met Eileen Thomas and found her research on breast-cancer screening similar to mine. I expressed my interest in her findings and described my work in breast-cancer screening behavior among Korean women. After discussing our research, we agreed to collaborate in researching these issues.

International Nurses Day, World AIDS Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month are all efforts that highlight the need for nurses to connect globally. Sigma Theta Tau International’s vision is to create a global community of nurses to improve health worldwide. There are many ways to pursue this goal. One way is through international collaboration, which is vital to development of nursing knowledge.

I have always been interested in cultural diversity and the impact of globalization on nursing and health care. In my experience, international collaboration is a great learning process and very rewarding. Through this process, I gain a global view and become more confident in my scholastic work. We may be at an early stage in implementing Sigma Theta Tau International’s vision, but I think our story is a good example of extending global community through collaboration.

It is important that current and potential honor society members around the world realize that there are no insurmountable barriers to collaboration. I am grateful to the Honor Society of Nursing for stimulating and promoting international connection of nursing scholars interested in cultural and globalization issues. I strongly believe that my collaboration with Eileen Thomas and my Korean colleagues empowered me both personally and professionally.

Global health has an effect on everyone and should concern us all. According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2003), millions of people worldwide die from infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Women around the world are impacted by domestic violence, lack of prenatal care and a multitude of other health concerns. Millions of children die from malnutrition and measles, even though effective immunization has been available for more than 40 years. In 2003, WHO analysts predicted that global cancer rates could increase by 50 percent to 15 million new cases per year by 2020. Now, more than ever before, nurses need to collaborate.

Eileen Thomas:
I enthusiastically agreed to team up with Hee Sun Kang to compare cultural attitudes toward breast-cancer screening and publish the results of our findings. The research we conducted found that women in the United States and South Korea have similar beliefs about the importance of breast-cancer screening, and that factors deterring women from getting a mammogram in one culture are largely the same in other cultures.

When we prepared a manuscript to report our findings, our primary challenge was not the language barrier, but rather overcoming barriers in distance and time. Thanks to the Internet and e-mail, we shared notes, exchanged ideas and answered each other’s questions. After only three months, many e-mail exchanges and a few phone conversations, our manuscript was ready for final editing and submission.

Hee Sun Kang:
International collaboration rests heavily on mutual interest and trust, as well as technology. We used e-mail because collaborative work is facilitated by fast communication that is not hampered by differences in time zones and geographic distance. Recognizing that we have different and very busy schedules, we agreed to adjust time commitments if one of us was busy with other priorities. This helped build our relationship and prevented us from becoming discouraged when responses were delayed.

Funding is often regarded as a barrier to collaboration. In our case, we didn’t wait for funding to begin our collaborative relationship, but we hope our initial work will open the way for future funding.

Eileen Thomas and Hee Sun Kang:
The theme for Sigma Theta Tau International’s 39th Biennial Convention is “Vision to Action: Global Health Through Collaboration.” We are wholeheartedly committed to the vision of the Honor Society of Nursing and encourage active participation in its local chapters and sponsored research conferences. Becoming involved in these ways provides valuable opportunities to meet, network and develop collaborative relationships with nurses from around the world, and supports the vision of creating “a global community of nurses … to improve the health of the world’s people.” RNL

—Eileen Thomas, RN, PhD, is assistant professor in the College of Nursing at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M., USA. Thomas is currently collaborating with a doctoral student from Iran who is conducting similar research with Iranian women. She also recently developed a new course for undergraduate and graduate nursing students on global health issues. Hee Sun Kang, RN, PhD, is assistant professor in the Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

References
Foege, W.H. (2002). Infectious diseases. In C.E. Koop, C.E. Pearson, & M.R. Schwarz (Eds.), Critical issues in global health (pp. 111-116). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

World Health Organization. (2003, April 3). Global cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 million by 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2007, from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr27/en/