Journal of General Practice Nursing

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RESPIRATORY CARE TODAY 2015,Vol 1, No 1 3
EDITORIAL i
I t is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the first edition
of Respiratory Care Today. This new journal is the result of the
increased recognition of the important role that nurses play in the
provision of good quality care for the millions of people in the UK
living with a respiratory condition.
This issue includes articles, written by expert
respiratory clinicians working across the many
different interfaces of care in the NHS, that cover
a wide range of topics relevant to clinical practice,
ranging from practical tips when providing care
to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), asthma, as well as long-term
oxygen therapy and end-of-life care. Management of the patient at
end of life is a sensitive and challenging area, and one that is becoming
increasingly relevant to primary care nurses as more people choose to
die at home. Symptom control, notably breathlessness for people with a
respiratory condition, is paramount to good palliative care — the article
focusing on end of life provides an excellent overview of how best to
support patients and their carers during this phase. All the articles are
patient-centred and cover the basic principles of providing good quality
nursing care to respiratory patients.
A number of practical posters are also included with some
tops tips, including practical insights on spirometry readings and
diagnosing asthma. Moving on from clinical issues, we have a feature
on contemporary professional development that explores integrated
care ( pp 4–7). Integrated care is high on the NHS and political agenda,
and respiratory care nursing is at the forefront of such developments.
I am also especially excited to share with you the discussion piece
on the state of respiratory care today (pp 10–11), which asks some
difficult questions and the responses are both interesting and thought-
provoking. I hope you enjoy this first issue of Respiratory Care Today .
JanelleYorke, Professor of Cancer Nursing, University of Manchester
and the Christie NHS Foundation
Managing director
Nicola Rusling
Publisher
Binkie Mais
Editor
Jason Beckford-Ball
Business manager
Alec O’Dare
07535 282827
Welcome to Respiratory
Care Today
©Wound Care People Limited 2015
Finials House, The Square,
Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire GL54 1AF
ISSN 2059-2795
t: +44(0) 1451 870310 e:
All rights reserved. No part of the Respiratory Care Today journal may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means
electronic or mechanical, photocopied or otherwise without the prior
written permission of Wound Care People Limited.
Printed in England by Blackmore Ltd, Shaftesbury
i Contents
4
Samantha Prigmore
8
10
Carol Stonham, Monica Fletcher
12
Sandra Olive
16
18
Matthew Hodson,
Rebecca Sherrington
26
Andrew Booth
32
34
Joe Annandale
40
Emma Vincent
44
Andrew Booth
Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect those of Wound Care People Limited. Any products referred to by the
authors should only be used as recommended by manufacturers’ data sheets.