In August, Jo Smith, another Associate Editor of EBN, wrote a blog about Ebola. The question was whether it was a global health problem. At that time, the disease had been largely a scourge in West Africa. Since then, we’ve seen the first cases of Ebola in the US and, it feels like only a […]
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Option Grids: Expanding our toolkit for supporting shared decision making
I am always looking for new ways to improve the way we support patients to make informed choices about their healthcare, using the best available evidence from research. Shared decision making necessitates information sharing and giving patients a voice in decision making. It is often easier said than done and both patients and care providers […]
Why is pain still not managed effectively?
Due to unforeseen circumstances this week’s Twitter Chat focusing on the care of people with learning disabilities has had be postponed. Watch this space for details of its rescheduled date. Given this I am taking the opportunity to report on some of my reflections while at the World Congress on Pain. Along with several thousand […]
Patient-centred Renal Care – A Multidisciplinary Approach to Holistic Health
The 43rd European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association (EDTNA/ERCA) International Conference was held in Riga, Latvia in September 2014 (see http://www.edtnaerca-conference2014.com/). This annual event brings together members of the renal healthcare team who strive to improve the care offered to people with renal disease and their carers. The conference is a place […]
‘Our National Shame’ Older people and loneliness ‘ by Nova Corcoran, University of South Wales, (@NovaCorks); Calvin Moorley London South Bank University (@CalvinMoorley)
The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP in a speech in 2013 referred to loneliness in the UK as ‘our national shame’ highlighting the millions of people who are part of the ‘boarder problem of loneliness that in our busy lives we have utterly failed to confront’ (DOH/Hunt 2013). Loneliness is not just something we feel […]
Patients need help to navigate the maze of healthcare
Each time I enter the healthcare system from the other side (that is the side of the patient or family member) I am reminded how vulnerable patients and families are when there is no one advocating for them. I am reminded of how important good communication is between patients and care providers, and how critical the flow […]
Raising concerns ‘speaking up’ a student nurse perspective by Andrew Catherall Twitter @AndrewCatherall
It is really tough being a student nurse, I am sure that goes without saying most of you reading will either be student nurses or have at least been in the recent past but I think as we spend more time in the clinical or work environment the more we forget the anxiety of the […]
Roberta’s Rant By Roberta Heale Associate Editor EBN, @robertaheale
A tv personality in Canada, Rick Mercer, is well known for his ‘rant’. Every week he’s filmed walking around outside in back lanes where he expresses his frustration about a variety of issues. Here’s his rant about people who don’t get the flu shot: http://bit.ly/1wdhAiW I want to rant. I work at a community health […]
Nurses and Interprofessional Teamwork. Where do we stand? Roberta Heale, Associate Editor, EBN @robertaheale Join Twitter Chat Wed, Sept 3, 8-9pm UK time #ebnjc
The past decade has seen a push toward the evaluation of teamwork in healthcare, particularly interprofessional teamwork. The World Health Organization indicates that ‘interprofessional collaboration in education and practice…will play an important role in mitigating the global health workforce crisis” (2010, p. 7). In addition, Effective teamwork promotes a work environment that has a positive […]
The Blue Gym – Oceans and Human Health by Dr Fiona McGowan Senior Lecturer School of Health, Sport and Bioscience University of East London
Recently I was invited to join the editorial board of the Journal of the Marine Biological Association. With a background in health and social care, a PhD in medical sociology and my current role as a Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Health Promotion, I would seem to be rather an ‘atypical’ candidate for this […]