One of the commonest autoimmune conditions, coeliac disease is an immune-mediated condition that is triggered by the ingestion of gluten in those who have a genetic susceptibility and can result in intestinal inflammation and irritation. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Coeliac disease has a prevalence in England of 1%, with a diagnosed prevalence of 0.24% (West et al, 2014). It is estimated that 75% of coeliac disease is undiagnosed and the condition is often misdiagnosed by healthcare professionals, with one in four people with coeliac disease having previously been treated for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (Card et al, 2013).
As the vast majority of you will already know, revalidation has now become a reality. From 1 April, 2016, every nurse and midwife will have to demonstrate their ability to meet the standards of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code through the revalidation process.
There are around 900,000 young people under the age of 19 in the UK with bowel and bladder problems, equating to one in 12 of this age group (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2010). These problems, which include daytime wetting, nighttime wetting, constipation and soiling, can have significant impacts on the emotional wellbeing of sufferers, with those affected — both young people and their parents or carers — reporting feelings of shame, embarrassment and fear of being found out’. This in turn can lead to low self-esteem, isolation, anxiety, and in some cases depression.
Skills for Health and the National Skills Academy for Health have launched #OurHealthHeroes to mark the contributions of those who play a vital role in delivering patient care. The campaign celebrates the 798,600 people across the sector who work as healthcare assistants, assistant practitioners, porters, cleaners, caterers, maintenance staff and administrative staff. By encouraging people who have benefitted from support to share their stories and thanks, it is hoped that these staff will feel valued and appreciated as part of the healthcare system.
Anew survey has highlighted concern among multiple sclerosis (MS) specialists — including nurses — that some patients with MS are not engaging with specialist services. The research — Multiple Sclerosis Clinician Survey of 100 Specialist MS Nurses and Neurologists — found that 93% of healthcare professionals with expertise in MS believe that there are people with the condition who are missing out on access to new medicines, symptom control and holistic services, all of which can be offered by the MS team.
Community nursing is becoming more stressful and some nurses are at risk of burnout. Angela Hall, a former district nurse and Macmillan clinical nurse specialist, explores what can be done...
Every day, community nurses are faced with a multitude of illnesses and conditions, some of which will be easy recognisable while others will be harder to spot. In this respect, the complex make-up of the human body itself presents a challenge. One condition that may not be easily recognisable and which may rarely be encountered by community nurses is complex regional pain syndrome. Here, I hope to provide some guidance on this condition for nurses, and, in particular, help speed-up any diagnosis and subsequent rehabilitation.
Getting patients to access the care they need is not always easy. Jason Beckford-Ball spoke to Laura Westwick about one project in east London that is connecting cancer patients with local services...
Working in a so-called caring profession does not always protect us from difficult colleagues. Carol Singleton discusses her own experience of workplace bullying and what you can do about it...
The Colostomy Association has launched a new service to change the lives of thousands of people living with a stoma across the world. Stoma Aid is a new initiative that will collect unused ostomy supplies in the UK and redistribute them to patients living with a stoma in developing countries that cannot afford or access supplies.
