Perfecting your practice

This article tells you about:

• What eczema is and what it looks like
• How to manage this common skin condition
• How it affects patients psychologically

You would be likely to reference this article if you were researching:

• dermatology
• eczema
• practice nursing

In what situations will this article be useful to me?

It will prove useful if you are nursing patients who have this common skin condition.

Patients admitted with other medical conditions or for surgery may have eczema which will need treatment and management during their admission. Eczema is common in young children who may have it sufficiently severely to require hospital admission. You may also meet this condition on your community placement as eczema is commonly managed within general practice.

Questions for your mentor/tutor

• How can you find out more about how to correctly apply creams and ointments for skin condition?
• What is the nurse’s role in the management of eczema?

Student Nursing Times decoder

Atopy

Atopy is when you are more likely to have an allergic response to common antigens such as pollen, different foods or chemicals. Atopy is hereditary. As a result atopic eczema is caused by an allergic reaction which runs in families

Emollients

These are skin preparations that moisten and lubricate the skin. They are the mainstay of treatment for eczema and come as ointments or creams. As a general rule they need to be applied in greater quantity that you would first assume.

Pruritus

This is the medical term for itching which is a symptom of eczema. Scratching skin made sore by eczema aggravates and worsens the condition. Part of the nurse’s role in eczema, particularly in children, is to discourage scratching of the skin.

Other articles you might find useful

• Use of emollients in dry skin conditions
• The importance of emollients in treating the increasing incidence of atopic eczema
• Raising the profile of skincare among health professionals

This article tells you about:

• How to assess patients with faecal incontinence
• How to manage the skin in this situation
• How to help patients cope psychologically

You would be likely to reference this article if you were researching:

• faecal incontinence
• critical care
• skin care

In what situations will this article be useful to me?

This article will be useful if you are nursing patients with faecal incontinence in an acute setting. When patients are critically ill, fundamental care such as managing incontinence can seem less of a priority. But it is an essential element of care preventing skin damage, pressure ulcers and infection.

Questions for your mentor/tutor

• What assessment tools would be useful in managing faecal incontinence?
• Is there a tissue viability specialist at the hospital who can be consulted for advice and support?

Student Nursing Times decoder

• Faecal management systems: a faecal management system is a fully closed system that collects and contains liquid or semi-liquidstools, helping to protect the skin and prevent faecal contamination of the environment.
• Barrier cream: skin preparations applied to exposed areas of the skin to protect skin cells from exposure irritants such as loose stools.
• Excoriation: damage to the surface of the skin from abrasion or contact with urine or stools, for example.

Other articles you might find useful

• Managing faecal incontinence: a joint approach to guideline development
• Best practice: guidelines for managing faecal incontinence
• A personal account of living with faecal incontinence

This article tells you about:

• The main types of stoma
• Common reasons that patients need stomas
• How to care for patients with stomas

You would be likely to reference this article if you were researching:

• Stoma care
• Colostomy, urostomy or ileostomy
• Stoma appliances

In what situations will this article be useful to me?

• Most patients with stomas receive specialist care from stoma clinical nurse specialists. However, they may present in any clinical setting for health problems either related to their stoma or not. In these situations non-specialist nurses need to be able to understand the basics of stoma management to ensure they provide holistic care, and know when to seek help from the stoma care nurse.

Questions for your mentor/tutor

• Is a stoma care nurse specialist available to offer stoma care help and advice in your place of
  work?
• Do nursing staff need training in basic stoma care?
• Does your workplace need to develop a stoma care policy or guideline?

Student Nursing Times decoder

• Colostomy: a stoma formed from the large bowel or colon
• Ileostomy: a stoma formed from the small bowel or ileum
• Urostomy: a stoma formed using a segment of bowel to allow the passage of urine
• Peristomal skin: Skin surrounding a stoma

Other articles you might find useful

• Management of stoma complications
• Older people should be given practical support to effectively manage their stomas
• Nutrition for people with Stomas 1: overview of issues
• Nutrition for people with stomas 2: An overview of dietary advice
• Sexuality Following Stoma Formation 1: Background
• Sexuality Following Stoma Formation 2: Nursing Care

This article tells you about:

• How to reduce tiredness on nights
• Benefits of napping at night when working shifts
• Recent research into advantages of restorative napping

You would be likely to reference this article if you were researching:

• Shift work
• Night nursing
• Sleep

In what situations will this article be useful to me?

• It will be useful for you in two ways. First, from a personal point of view as you will be working night shifts as part of your training. The article confronts the issue of tiredness, its impact on how you work and offers strategies to limit fatigue.
• Second, it will be useful to you if you are doing an assignment on night nursing or the issue of shift work.

Questions for your mentor/tutor

• Should you talk to the hospital about introducing restorative napping?
• How would it work in practice? What facilities are needed?

Student Nursing Times decoder

• Restorative napping: a brief sleep which reduces feeling of fatigue and improves performance.
• Cognitive impairment: this is when mental functions such as memory, understanding, and judgment are affected. This can be from a variety of causes - tiredness is one of them.

Other articles you might find useful

• ‘We must look at our practices and attitudes about shift work’
• Why nurses need to unwind from work

This article tells you about:

• New guidance on managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• The role of NICE guidelines
• The key priorities in managing this condition

You would be likely to reference this article if you were researching:

• COPD
• Respiratory conditions
• NICE guidance

In what situations will this article be useful to me?

• If you are caring for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) either in hospital or out in the community. It will provide a picture of the care that would ensure that patients with this condition have optimal symptom control and quality of life.
• It is also useful background when working with patients who are smokers to achieve behaviour change. 

Questions for your mentor/tutor

• What relevance does NICE guidance have to nurses?
• What are the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation?

Student Nursing Times decoder

• COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term chronic lung condition. It is characterised by narrowing and inflammation of the airways. Its main symptoms are cough and breathlessness. Its main cause is smoking and the lung damage cannot be reversed.

Other articles you might find useful

• Exploring the outcomes and implications of the latest national COPD audit
• Developing self management plans to help people with COPD to control their condition