At the Cavell Nurses’ Trust, we believe you are all heroes. The care, compassion and courage shown by nurses in the UK every day is staggering and very humbling to those of us not involved directly in nursing.
In the UK there are currently tens of thousands of blind and visionimpaired ex-servicemen and women battling sight loss without the specialist support available to them from charities like Blind Veterans UK.
Here at The Brain Tumour Charity, we have two main goals: to double brain tumour survival and halve the harm caused by the disease. These goals are urgently needed and yet, for those living with a brain tumour, they must seem a distant dream.
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).
With so much choice, there can be uncertainty around which skin preparations to use in people with skin that is damaged or in danger of becoming compromised. However, community nurses are ideally placed to carry out skin assessments, provide education and work with patients to identify an effective emollient package. Patient choice is crucial and should be available to patients of all ages with vulnerable, dry or scaly skin conditions. Patient education and written management plans are also essential for the successful management of dry skin conditions. However, choosing one type of bath additive or emollient over another can create confusion for healthcare professionals and patients alike and this article sets out some basic principles for successful management.
The management of incontinence is often a neglected area of community care, even more so when allied to older people, and it is essential that community nurses consider the effect of the ageing process and its impact on continence. Often, this can involve the specific effects of dementia and the management of urinary incontinence can then become complex due to the range of practical approaches required and the need to adjust these for each patient. A large percentage of the community nurse’s time is spent supporting carers; therefore, it is essential to consider their feelings when suggesting any strategies as they may feel that they are already incorporating them in the patient’s daily activities. It is also important to focus on few key elements of advice around incontinence and to listen empathetically to appreciate the challenges experienced by carers, which will help in identifying suitable strategies.
This article details a literature search that aimed to find evidence for best practice in treating heel pressure injury. The article gives some background to the aetiology and presentation of heel injury, as well as detailing some of the evidence and literature that was found in the search. The results show that more good quality studies are necessary to arrive at a definition of best practice in heel pressure ulcer treatment to guide nurses. For example, there should be clear indications about how to treat the different categories of pressure damage, the surgical intervention required to repair wounds without putting patients at risk of major amputation, and more focus on the benefits of a through vascular assessment before stating any debridement.
Welcome to JCN’s learning zone. By reading the article in each issue, you can learn all about the key principles of subjects that are vital to your role as a community nurse. Once you have read the article, visit the learning zone to evaluate your knowledge on this topic by answering the 10 questions in the e-learning unit; all answers can be found in the article. If you answer the questions correctly, you can download your certificate, which can be used in your continuing professional development (CPD) portfolio as evidence of your continued learning.
Candice Pellett OBE, Queen’s Nurse, is a transition project manager at the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) in London. Candice received the OBE in 2014 for Services to Nursing and Healthcare.
Candice talks about her background in community practice.
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.
