I work in a critical care unit and one of my roles is to organize the overall support and mentoring for student nurses on placement on my unit. Having undertaken this role for a number of years. I know that there are different types of learners, auditory (hear), visual (see) and kinesthetic (touch) (Honey and […]
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RN Staffing in Hospitals…Are We Asking the Right Question?
By Roberta Heale, Associate Editor I’ve been working with a number of students in a nursing masters program who have chosen to study teamwork. One study includes a survey question about the percentage of time that a nurse feels that his/her unit is appropriately staffed. I’ve been thinking about this issue and I think that […]
Outcome measurement and valuation – what is it and why do we need it?
Last week I spent a couple of days in York, England exploring outcome measurement and valuation for Health Technology Assessment with academics from the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York. People attended from across the world and I sat beside colleagues from many countries including India, Ghana, Switzerland, Greece, Denmark, Spain and […]
The elevator pitch for midwifery care
A few days ago I was sitting on an aircraft on my way to the International Confederation of Midwives 30th Triennial Congress in Prague. In an effort to reduce my pre-flight anxiety, I was chatting to the person beside me, who happened to be the father of three young children, one of whom was only a […]
The physical health of individuals with serious mental illness Josephine Bardi (RMN), MSc Public Health candidate Twitter @JoBardi01
“The problem of physical health in individuals with severe mental illness remains a global public health concern” (World Psychiatric Association, 2009, p.1). Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) particularly those with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder are vulnerable to poorer physical health which results in higher rates of mortality and morbidity when compared to […]
A mother’s experience of breastfeeding, by Lisa Ford, Twitter @asthehosptuRNs
As the mother of a 15-year old son and a new baby daughter of 10 weeks, I like to think that I’ve learned a thing or two about breastfeeding. Do I know it all? Nobody does. Even lactation consultants, doctors, and specialists are learning more and more every day. What I do know is what […]
Back to square one? Pain management in children
Jackie Vasey, Senior Lecturer Children’s Nursing, University of Huddersfield Effective pain management is a human right and health professionals have a responsibility to ensure that all children receive effective pain management (Twycross & Williams, in; Twycross, Dowden & Stinson, 2014). However, evidence suggests that effective pain management is lacking, with children continuing to experience moderate […]
Why do we need to talk about Perinatal Mental Health?
By @PNDandMe (Twitter) Antenatal Depression, Postnatal Depression and Postnatal Psychosis affect a large number of women in the UK. So many women do not receive the care they need because they are either afraid to ask for help, or when they do seek help are not given the access to appropriate care and support. This […]
Mental health – predicted to be the leading disease burden by 2030 – The role of the Commonwealth Nurses Federation
The 2nd Commonwealth Nurses Conference titled Nurses and midwives: agents of change, was held in March 2014 in London. Two hundred nurses from 26 countries attended the conference. The Commonwealth Nurses Federation (CNF) has several aims including contributing to the improved health by fostering access to nursing education, influencing health policy, developing nursing networks and strengthening […]
Building Resilience in Midwifery and Nursing Staff
By Karen Murray Lead Midwife Education, Queens University Belfast The work of nurses and midwives has been acknowledged as emotionally demanding. On a daily basis we deal with patients and their families during emotionally challenging times; we support them while they deal with anxiety, pain, fear and loss as well as joy and excitement. This […]