The alarming gap between theory and practice in NHS patient safety

The first batch of level 1 and 2 learning materials are now available on the elearning for healthcare (elfh) platform for NHS staff to access. Level 1 is called ‘Essentials for patient safety’ and...

Patient safety incident framework will ensure affected staff are not overlooked

On reflecting on what can be done, one can't help but feel that the way in which the NHS has traditionally managed patient safety incidents has not systematically supported the staff involved..

Estimating the time point for nutritional failure in patients suffering from acute brain attacks in the intensive care unit

This study aimed to estimate the time point where the development of nutritional failure and feeding-related complications are more likely among critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients...

The nurse's role in providing strategies and advice on weight management

First, nurses must identify whether the client seeking help does indeed need to lose weight. The requirements of fashion are more rigorous than those for health, and many people wish to lose weight...

Nutrition therapy for long COVID

Nurses, who work in a variety of settings ranging from clinics to home, play an important role in monitoring the risk of malnutrition among post-COVID patients, as well as being on the front line of...

Sarcopenia and malnutrition: commonly occurring conditions in the older population

Depending on the definition used, sarcopenia affects 4–25% of older, independently living adults in the UK: the prevalence data vary according to the identifying tests used for sarcopenia, as well as...

The supervisor conundrum

An opt-out approach to hepatitis C virus testing in English prisons: the literature underpinning the policy

‘PHE is advocating the development of an “opt out” testing programme in prisons, whereby prisoners are offered the chance to test for infection near reception and at several time points thereafter...

Assessing the patient's needs and planning effective care

Planning care is essential in the delivery of appropriate nursing care. Following assessment of a patient's needs, the next stage is to ‘plan care’ to address the actual and potential problems that...

Critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning of the heart and cardiovascular system

Chest pain is a common complaint, comprising up to 25% of emergency department attendances (Byrne, 2014). Not all of these will have a cardiac complaint; however, it is crucial to recognise important...

Implementing a surgical first assistant role into that of a clinical nurse specialist at an orthopaedic specialist hospital

The Perioperative Care Collaborative (PCC) (2018) defines an SFA as ‘registered practitioner providing continuous, competent and dedicated surgical assistance under direct supervision of the operating...