A few years ago I took up my first nursing post in a dementia care unit in Northern Ireland. The unit I worked in was very progressive and care was underpinned with up-to-date practices. Some examples included; specialist signage displayed around the unit that facilitated people with dementia in navigation to bathrooms, dining rooms […]
Latest articles
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 […]
Turning theory into practice using Community Links
by Dr Fiona McGowan University of East London As a Senior Lecturer on a Public Health postgraduate programme at the University of East London, I am increasingly aware of the importance for students to be equipped with BOTH practical and academic skills. This is ever more relevant in the competitive employment climate where possessing a […]
Parenting and mental health concerns
Emma White – parentingandmentalhealth.com With so many children being raised by a parent with a mental illness more support needs to be made readily available. Many parents are suffering in silence, afraid to speak out due to fear of the repercussions of speaking with a health professional. If they are honest and tell a professional […]
Understanding study designs for nurses who ‘don’t do’ epidemiology
Nova Corcoran, University of South Wales. It’s that word ‘epidemiology’. Possibly it makes people think another other unpleasant word – ‘statistics’. Usually it takes you back to being a nursing student again and those research methods lectures that were full of words like p-values and confidence intervals. In practice, nurses (and other health care practitioners) […]
How online patient communities are changing the face of cancer care
How online patient communities are changing the face of cancer care By Marie Ennis – O’Connor Twitter @JBBC There is a revolution occurring in healthcare, perhaps most noticeably in oncology; the rapid pace of new discoveries, advent of genomics, targeted therapies, telemedicine, and personalized medicine, alongside growing access to internet-based educational and support resources is […]