Nienke E Dijkstra, University of applied sciences Utrecht, Netherlands

Nienke E Dijkstra Nienke Dijkstra is a registered nurse and health scientist. She has been working as a PhD candidate in the Research group Proactive care for elderly people living at home since 2015. The doctoral study entitled as ‘home care nurses’ contribution to pharmaceutical care’ examines the impact of medication-related problems among patients receiving home care, medication self-management by senior citizens living at home and collaboration between district nurses and pharmacists after a patient has been admitted to hospital. In addition, Nienke is researching the quality of medication evaluations in primary care and which competences are required for nurses working in pharmaceutical care.

Nienke, combined the PhD program with a teacher position at the HU University of Applied Sciences for the Bachelor Nursing Program, and she worked as a home care nurse. During her PhD program, Nienke was selected for the three year summer school trainee of the European Academy of Nursing Science, she coordinated an European research project (DeMoPhaC project) in the Netherlands, and collaborated with researchers and students of European universities.

In 2018, Nienke received the 'promising nurse' award, issued by the Sigma Theta Tau International organization, for combining and relating aspects of her work in clinical practice, education, and research. In 2020, she became a consultant for geriatric care and prevention in the Academic Nurse Centre Utrecht, with the ambition to strive for interprofessional collaboration regarding the prevention of geriatric problems, such as medication/drug-related problems, and she became an international board member of the international network of Nurse and Pharmaceutical Care. She presented her work several times at national and international conferences and acted as an invited speaker at several home care organizations and Universities in the Netherlands and abroad. Nienke has over 12 publications that have been cited over 80 times.