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Nursing management
News, practice, opinion and forums for nursing management and leadership
Latest nursing management news
RCN sets out framework for 'community nursing success'
The Royal College of Nursing has unveiled a 27 point policy statement on the future of community nursing services.
Sanitising hand gel halves sickness absence
Regular use of sanitising hand gels at work cuts sickness absence rates by more than half, according to a new study.
Drug counteracts shift work impact
The health impact of shift work, jet lag and some psychiatric disorders could all be treated using a drug that influence’s mammals’ body clock, scientists have discovered.
'Skills passport' proves hit with nurses
A “skills passport” for nurses moved a step nearer following a successful pilot by the health sector training council Skills for Health.
Trusts showcase innovations in cancer care
Nursing Times’ inaugural Cancer Care Congress has given healthcare organisations a chance to highlight the innovative work they have done around cancer care.
Innovations
Ensuring reusable equipment meets patients’ needs and infection prevention guidelines
Commode spillages can contaminate the hospital environment and compromise patient dignity. A team had equipment designs modified to address these issues
Behind the headlines
'Grapefruit diabetes cure' unproven
The Daily Mirror today hails grapefruit as a “fruity ‘cure’ for diabetes”. The newspaper suggests that the chemical naringenin found in the fruit “can do the same job as two drugs used to treat type-2 diabetes”.
Fatty food and long-term weight gain
A moment on the lips really does mean a lifetime on the hips,” says the Daily Mail. The newspaper suggests that even short periods of overeating “could cause the waistline to bulge years later”.
Migraine with aura linked to heart risk
“People who suffer from a severe form of migraine are more likely to die of heart disease and strokes,” reported The Daily Telegraph.
Genetic effects of vitamin D studied
“Stocking up on vitamin D supplements and enjoying the summer sun could cut the risk of a host of diseases,” reported the Daily Mail.
Arthritis may block Alzheimer's
A protein produced in arthritis may “protect against the development of Alzheimer’s disease,” reported BBC News.
Evidence-based practice
Inpatient and hospital-at-home care: the same outcomes?
A recent Cochrane review gathered evidence on whether admission-avoidance hospital-at-home schemes provide different standards of care to inpatient services
Guidelines outline key actions to improve infection control
The Department of Health has published guidance that summarises good practice in infection prevention and ward cleanliness. Nerys Hairon highlights the main points
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Analysis
Doctors v nurses: Blurring the boundaries
With a government review, increased autonomy, advanced roles and working time laws contributing to nurses taking on junior doctors’ tasks, Clare Lomas looks at how the boundaries between the professions have become blurred.
Risks and benefits: changing the nursing skill mix
Healthcare assistants have taken on more and more core nursing tasks in recent years. Sally Gainsbury investigates the impact of this blurring of professional boundaries in the current economic climate
Join the debate
Nursing practice, clinical research
The high impact actions for nursing and midwifery 8: ready to go – no delays
Patients who are waiting to go home can become frustrated by delays. Nurses should develop systems to ensure patients receive a smooth and timely discharge
Improving integrated team working to support people to die in the place of their choice
Although many people express a wish to die at home, few do so. A team of community nurses and GPs changed working practices to address this
Practice comment
National guidance on last offices would prevent family distress
Although nurses commonly deal with death, no standardised training in last offices is available. Jo Wilson and colleagues explain why nationally endorsed guidance is urgently needed
Case studies
How mindfulness based stress reduction can reduce anxiety after alcohol abstinence
Mindfulness based therapy is a useful self help technique. This case study shows how it helped one patient to recover from anxiety after giving up alcohol
