Resources

In each issue we investigate a hot topic currently affecting you and your community
practice. Here, we ask... how can community nurses support carers?

Providing compassionate care to those who are sick and suffering is considered by many nurses as not only a privilege, but also an incredibly rewarding experience. Unfortunately, this emotionally, physically and intellectually demanding work can overwhelm a nurses’ psychological resilience to tolerate patient distress (Gilbert, 2009), making them more vulnerable to compassion fatigue (CF).

Emollients are products that are applied to the skin to rehydrate and provide comfort. They are key therapeutic products for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, but they may also be used to soothe itchy skin (particularly in the elderly). There are a plethora of emollients available on prescription and many more on the market that can be bought over the counter. Most emollients (often also known as moisturisers) contain paraffin in some format, usually either liquid or white soft.

We are living through a global pandemic, which has affected us all. It has changed the way we work and think. In the midst of this awful experience, a deeply sad picture is emerging — that BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) people and communities are being massively hit by Covid-19, and a BAME person is more likely to die from Covid-19 (Public Health England [PHE], 2020).

Have you ever felt confused by the wide range of products available for managing incontinence and toileting problems? How do you help your patients decide which products might suit their needs? And, how can you be sure that you are basing your clinical decisions on the best available research evidence? The Continence Product Advisor (CPA) aims to be the answer to your problems.

The Urology Foundation (TUF) is the only medical charity which works across the breadth of all urology diseases and is dedicated to improving the nation’s urological health through the investment of cutting-edge research and the training and education of urology professionals.

People who are extroverted tend to seek social stimulation and opportunities to engage with others through social interaction. Yet, whether you have an introvert or extrovert personality, loneliness can strike anyone. Being an extrovert by nature, experiencing enforced lockdown earlier this year was initially extremely daunting and challenging for me. Although well past the ‘flush of youth ‘, I am still in a section of life where my calendar was filled with meetings, attendance at international conference/exhibitions,
networking and travelling, giving me a purpose to manage my professional and home life with positivity.

HARTMANN UKI has launched a new initiative — HOME (acronym for holistic, outline, manage, evaluate/educate) — to help healthcare professionals introduce and manage shared-care solutions for patients at home.

Viscopaste and Ichthopaste bandages have been available in the wound care dressings market since the 1950s and 1930s respectively and are widely used within their clinical indications, primarily in lower limb management to treat leg ulcerations and the skin conditions associated with a leg ulcer. The products are commonly used within dermatology to manage chronic lichenified (thick and leathery) skin conditions, such as atopic eczema and dermatitis. Recently, Viscopaste and Ichthopaste bandages have been utilised in the management of skin conditions related to chronic oedema, for the treatment of patients with a diagnosis of red leg syndrome, which is often misdiagnosed as cellulitis  (Elwell, 2014)

Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are known to place a significant burden on healthcare services, with unhealed ulcers costing 135% more than their healed counterparts over the course of a year (Guest et al, 2016). This is a consequence of unwarranted variation in care attributed to difficulties experienced by non-specialist clinicians caring for VLU in the community. VLU healing rates are relatively unknown, and national targets for healing do not yet exist, but there is evidence in the literature that specialist VLU services improve healing rates (Moffatt et al, 1992). Healogics is a specialist third party provider of VLU and lymphoedema services to the NHS, that takes a systematic approach to the assessment and management of these co-existing conditions. This paper presents the healing rates of 1015 people with VLU treated by Healogics for the full 65-month duration of an any qualified provider (AQP) contract. Healing rates of 86.14% were obtained in an average of 117 days in line with the published healing rates from other specialist leg ulcer services (Moffatt et al, 1992; Edwards et al, 2005). The healing rates reported in this paper demonstrate that a consistent, specialist approach to VLU management that is underpinned by best practice and national guidelines can help to achieve timely healing in the majority of patients, and can identify more complex patients for whom healing is not possible, enabling them to be placed on a maintenance pathway. The authors suggest that grading of VLUs according to complexity and data collection and analysis of healing rates could help to improve healing outcomes on a national level.