Critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning when advanced practitioners assess and treat skin conditions

The possible list of differential diagnoses within the integumentary system is vast (Lynch, 1994). Although it is unlikely that those working outside the dermatology specialty will have a depth of...

Consultation and clinical assessment of the genitourinary system for advanced clinical practitioners

The quality of the communication during nurse–patient consultations can have a considerable impact on patient outcomes (O’Hagan et al, 2014). Therefore, the nurse should use a combination of verbal...

An insight into the work of sexual assault referral centres and the role of the forensic nurse examiner

The purpose of this article is to explain the role of the sexual assault referral centre (SARC): this is a service that few people actually know about, a service that no one ever needs … until an...

The psychological effects of working in the NHS during a pandemic on final-year students: part 1

The researchers were interested in the psychological impact of caring and how this linked to resilience and retention in the workforce. This concept of moral resilience and moral distress and the...

Nutrition during the menopause: clinical considerations

Having established the importance of each macronutrient, we need to consider how to get the proportions right, in order to maintain optimal blood sugar levels. Blood sugar balance is a key part of the...

Physical activity: how nurses and midwives can make a difference

As with many of the behavioural elements of public health, people experience better outcomes when physical activity habits are formed early in life and continue into adulthood and old age. Commonly...

Easier, quicker, safer: an enhanced instrument count procedure

In response to the challenges posed by the TICP, I developed an enhanced instrument count procedure (EICP), which has resulted in an easier, quicker, safer approach to instrument counting. The EICP...

Patient safety and the law: looking back and looking forward

Poor and unsafe maternity care is a feature that stood out in 2021. Maternity care failings have dominated CQC reports and have featured in national media reports. The CQC has stated that there are...

From staff nurse to nurse consultant: Team working part 7: developing a positive ethos

Every clinical areas will place different demands on the healthcare staff. For some areas, such as the emergency department, it will be the sheer volume of patients at peak times. Those working in...

Tackling workplace violence

Implementing digital technology during the pandemic: impact on stoma nursing services at a tertiary referral centre

The pandemic has required nurses to implement digital technologies and, at the same time, demonstrated its many benefits to modern health care, as future nurses would be expected to adapt to a...

Quality of life of ostomates at a teaching and referral hospital in Kenya

This was a descriptive study that employed an interviewer administered-questionnaire to gather information on QoL issues, including nutrition, psychosocial aspects and issues around sexuality. The...