I'd never proudly admit that I am a nurse, as I'm treated like someone who couldn't get a proper degree"
Nursing management
News, practice, opinion and forums for nursing management and leadership
Latest nursing management news
Nurse shifts linked to abnormal eating habits
Shift duties are linked with abnormal eating habits among nurses working in hospitals, according to Hong Kong researchers.
US hospital 'kite mark' scheme could boost nurse retention
Nursing directors should be actively explore the adoption of a US accreditation programme that recognises excellence in nursing care, according to the lead nurse piloting the scheme in the NHS.
Outer London faces nurse recruitment trouble
Renewed efforts to cut the use of agency nurses are being hampered by problems recruiting permanent staff in and around London, senior nurses have warned.
Handover tool improves patient safety
A pioneering electronic tool to improve the quality of patient handover has significantly improved patient safety at a Wiltshire trust.
Demands for clarity over Conservative education plans
Nurse leaders are demanding clarity over Conservative plans for educational reform amid widespread confusion over the party’s policy on graduate level entry.
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
Innovations
How to improve services for dying patients in critical care: adapting protocols
Implementing a pathway for end of life care can aid decision making and clarify treatment plans and goals for critically ill patients. A trust explains how
Behind the headlines
Genetics behind ageing probed
Genetic tests to determine how quickly a person will age may soon be available, according to several newspapers. The news is based on the recent discovery of a genetic variation that apparently predisposes some people to faster ageing.
Diabetes treatment trialled
“An ‘artificial pancreas’ can be used to regulate blood sugar in children with type 1 diabetes,” BBC News reported.
Warning over 'souvenir' baby scans
“Parents-to-be should weigh the possible risks of going for non-essential scans purely to get keepsake pictures of their unborn babies,” BBC News reported. It said that while ultrasound scans are “entirely justifiable and safe, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is concerned about ‘boutique’ scanning”.
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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
E-learning benefits nurse education and helps shape students’ professional identity
Online learning has unique advantages, overcoming barriers of introversion and physical distance, creating new ways to communicate and shaping identity
Supporting staff to deliver compassionate care using Schwartz Center Rounds – a UK pilot
Staff who feel supported deliver better care. The King’s Fund report on how a US system, which encourages sharing of experiences, is being piloted in the UK
Weaning from ventilation needs to be tailored to individual patients and involve them
Weaning from mechanical ventilation is physically and psychologically demanding for patients, and requires nurses with expertise who can give continuity of care
Whistleblowing: what influences nurses' decisions on whether to report poor practice?
Reporting poor practice is a professional and moral obligation for nurses, yet they do not always do so. This article explores possible reasons for this failure
How to improve services for dying patients in critical care: adapting protocols
Implementing a pathway for end of life care can aid decision making and clarify treatment plans and goals for critically ill patients. A trust explains how
Practice comment
Surgery waiting list targets remove choice and penalise services
The 17 week target will prevent patients from choosing when they have surgery. Staff should be able to use their clinical judgement to meet patients’ needs, says Linda Nazarko
Case studies
How taking on a mothering role can lead to less effective care and advocacy for patients
The treatment of a patient and attitudes towards him raised questions about the nursing role, and gender and age differences between nurses and patients
