Many community nurses will have to attend patients that have a surgical wound. The desired clinical outcome for any surgical wound will be to achieve closure and skin integrity with an acceptable cosmetic result, and to avoid any complications. Patients presenting to community nurses after discharge from hospital may well have experienced postoperative complications or may be at risk of complications following suture removal. Community nurses should be aware of wound problems that may arise following surgery and how to address them appropriately.
A chronic heavily exuding wound can have a devastating impact on a patient’s quality of life, often resulting in symptoms such as increased pain, depression, anxiety and stress, as well as a loss of independence and social isolation. For community nurses, wounds with high levels of exudate can incur increasing costs, both in time and resources. It is imperative to heal these wounds as quickly as possible and the community nurse should undertake a robust and holistic assessment before implementing a clear and evidence-based management plan, potentially including wound debridement and the use of an effective absorbent dressing in combination with compression therapy, where appropriate, to manage exudate. This article examines the development of chronic wounds and the problem of excess exudate production specifically, before going onto look at the benefits of one particular superabsorbent dressing (Flivasorb®; Activa Healthcare/L&R). The author uses extensive evidence as well as clinical expertise to provide an overview of the dressing, and presents a case study to demonstrate its benefits in practice.
Respiration is vital for life and understanding how to assess patients' respiration and the different types of respiratory rate is a vital skill for all community nurses. Respiration rate is one of the four vital signs and should not be ignored when assessing a patient. This article explains the different types of respiration; provides clear guidance on how to assess respiration, and explores some of the causes of abnormal respiratory patterns and how they can be managed.
Many people with skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, as well as scars and old or unwanted tattoos, can find their self esteem is negatively affected. This article looks at skin camouflage, a cosmetic technique that can nonetheless provide patients with a way of lessening the psychological impact of skin conditions.
While cancer treatment can be debilitating enough in itself, one of the lesser known side-effects is the impact it has on patients’ nutrition, including reduced appetite, nausea and changes in taste. This article takes an in-depth look at the elements that community nurses need to be aware of when managing patients undergoing treatment for cancer.
This article discusses the applicability of a narrative framework to support student nurses’ learning when on placement with a team of community matrons.
A narrative framework involves gathering, evaluating and discussing information and the rationale for using one here was that it helped the students think critically about what they had experienced while on placement and provided a specific language for them to make sense of their surroundings, which would in turn influence their subsequent decisions and actions.
In each issue we investigate a hot topic currently affecting you and your community practice. Here, Jason Beckford-Ball looks at the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and asks 'What will Brexit mean for community nurses?
he days immediately following the Brexit vote felt a bit like the day after a wedding reception — the balloons had all been popped; the drunken uncles and aunts had been put into taxis; and the cake crumbs and smashed glasses had being swept from the dancefloor. Now it was time to forget the speeches and the promises and get on with the rest of our lives.
Primary care has been thrust centre stage recently with services moving closer to home. Jason Beckford-Ball speaks to Kathryn Evans of NHS England about what the future holds for community nurses...
In the UK, 330 million tons of domestic waste is produced every year, most of which is either burned or sent to landfill sites. This seems to be a trait common to wealthy societies and in the fast-paced world in which we live time is at a premium — we want products to serve their purpose and, once used, they are thrown away. Mobile phones for example, a must-have commodity in our society, are only designed to work for approximately three years, forcing the user to upgrade on a regular basis, both to drive sales and improve the user experience.
