Resources

23 October 2012
Topics:  Product News
23 October 2012
Topics:  Opinion
22 October 2012

A report by the National Patient Safety Agency based on an analysis of over 200,000 falls, found that the majority of falls resulted in no harm; however other consequences such as a loss of confidence, increased likelihood of discharge to a residential or nursing home or an increased length of stay in the hospital cannot be easily captured or quantified. This article reports on a study undertaken to identify the risk factors and trends present in a cohort of patients that have suffered a fall in a community hospital.

Chetan Shah MPharm, Dip Clin Pharm, Cert Psych Ther., Principal Pharmacist – Community Services, Ealing Hospital NHS Trust,
Gillian Williams, MSc,BSc, RGN, Modern Matron, Ealing Hospital NHS Trust,
Jaikishan Joshi and Roobi Aziz, Research Students, School of Pharmacy, University of Hertfordshire.

Article accepted for publication: January 2012

15 October 2012

Caring for people approaching the end stages of their lives can be a challenging yet immensely rewarding area in which to work. Front line staff such as nurses and therapists are the visible face of care provision; however, the organisation and co-ordination of service provision from support and administrative staff can have a tangible impact upon the quality of service provision received by the patients and their families. This article aims to give a brief outline of how one community healthcare organisation developed a system and associated processes to provide a single point of referral for end of life care from a range of community nursing services.

Sue Pender PGDE, BSc (Hons) RN, Modern Matron, City Health Care Partnership Community Interest Group (CIC), Priory Park East, Hull

Fiona Pearce, NVQ, IV, RSA, Secretary to the End of Life Care Team, City Health Care Partnership CIC

Article accepted for publication: July 2012

15 October 2012

It is estimated that approximately 820,000 people in the UK are living with dementia, and numbers are rising. Optimising treatment and care outcomes for those with dementia is vital. However, studies have shown that care is falling far short of what it needs to; people with dementia are not being supported in the early stages of the condition due to lack of early diagnosis and poor community support. This article outlines a novel approach to dementia care.

Zoë Elkins, Head of Care Strategy, The Good Care Group, London

Article accepted for publication: May 2012

Topics:  Memory system
15 October 2012

The cost of diabetic foot ulcer management is estimated at around £300 million a year, but the true prevalence of diabetic foot disease is unknown, making the potential economic and personal burden of diabetes treatment and complications inestimable. This article will explore diabetic foot aetiology, risk factors for diabetic foot disease, prevention strategies and briefly discuss the management of people with diabetic foot disease

Maureen Benbow MSc, BA, RGN, HERC, Senior Lecturer, University of Chester

Article accepted for publication: May 2012
 

Topics:  Neuropathy
15 October 2012

The prevalence of incontinence is significant in care settings. However, care is often focussed on containing the problem rather than establishing and treating the underlying cause. In order to assess the appropriateness of product usage, and therefore give an indication of quality of continence care within our organisation, we undertook a review. This article, a previous entry in the JCN Writing Awards, describes the methodology and results and identified areas for practice improvement.

Tendayi Masuko, Bsc. Hons. Health and Social Care, BSc Hons. Specialist Practitioner/ District Nursing, Dip. Higher Education (RGN), PG Cert. Dev. Mgt, Nurse Independent/Supplementary Prescriber. Continence Nurse Specialist, Project lead, Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust

Topics:  Continence care
15 October 2012

Millions of people across the world are affected by lymphoedema. Physical treatments commonly combine skin care, compression therapy, exercise and manual lymphatic drainage. Increasingly, surgery has been recognised as providing benefits for some individuals with lymphoedema, although the evidence is still limited. This article overviews lymphoedema types and treatments, discusses different surgical approaches for people with lymphoedema, and the implications for community nurses.

Dr Anne Williams Nurse Consultant/ Researcher, Esk Lymphology, Midlothian

Article accepted for publication: January 2012

27 July 2012
Topics:  Information
27 July 2012

People with leg ulceration are predominantly treated in a community setting either in their own home, a clinic or a general practice surgery. Access to high quality, effective care is vital for timely healing. This article will consider aspects of the National Health Service quality agenda and how these align to leg ulcer care using national venous leg ulcer guidelines as a framework. The purpose of this is to prompt both practitioners and managers to consider the current provision of leg ulcer care and how this might stand up to scrutiny from a quality perspective.

Irene Anderson reader in Learning and Teaching in Healthcare Practice, and Programme Tutor, Tissue Viability, University of Hertfordshire.

Article accepted for publication: May 2012