The perception of clinical risk among students of different health professions: a multicentre study

A cross-sectional, multicentre study was carried out on a non-randomised convenience sample of students attending nursing degree courses at the University of Milan (San Paolo School of Nursing) and...

The hepatology research nurse: an academic but patient-focused role

The hepatology research nurse role is demanding, but varied and interesting. The principal investigator (PI), usually a clinician, is ultimately responsible for patient clinical care and trial...

Lawfully admitting a person who lacks decision-making capacity to hospital

A nurse acting in the best interests of an incapable adult would not incur liability for arranging the admission of that person to hospital for care and treatment, even where they appeared to object...

A long-term plan for embracing digital healthcare technology

The use of technology to manage care is as old as the use of the telephone itself. In fact, the first recorded use of telephone technology in health care occurred in 1879 when a doctor was able to...

The role of the NHS Constitution in balancing the care equation

The NHS Constitution for England (Department of Health, 2015) can be seen as an attempt to balance the healthcare equation. Rights and pledges for patients, the public and NHS staff are set out, as...

The implications of nurse shortages

Tackling racial bias in NHS workplaces

Bennett et al (2016) highlighted research across the UK showing that NHS staff from BME backgrounds often experience inequality, discrimination and prejudice in the workplace. Indeed, they are...

How to take manual blood pressure

A BP measurement in its simplest form is a determinant of individual cardiac output (the volume of blood pumped out of the heart and into the aorta per minute) and the systematic vascular resistance...

Public health: PART 3 Behaviour change

‘Anything a person does in response to internal or external events. Actions may be overt (motor or verbal) and directly measurable, or covert (activities not viewable but involving voluntary...

Smart tattoo: technology for monitoring blood glucose in the future

People with diabetes constantly walk a tightrope between strict glycaemic control to delay and/or slow the progression of micro- and macrovascular complications.

Patient- and relative-activated critical care outreach: a 7-year service review

RRSs were developed to address failures in recognition and escalation of deteriorating patients in hospital. While these systems have made some impact on the recognition of the deteriorating patient...

Patient safety in the NHS: opening the door to change

The consultation paper has some thoughtful provisions. Three principles underpin the strategy: a just culture; openness and transparency; and continuous improvement..

The Royal College of Nursing's quest to improve recruitment

Shortages of trained nurses can be traced back to the introduction of nurse registration. When the first elections to the General Nursing Council (GNC) (the forerunner to today's Nursing and Midwifery...

Pick ‘n’ mix teaching: a solution to learner engagement?

I developed the ‘pick ‘n’ mix teaching’ sessions in response to a request for work-based teaching from one of our medical wards. This particular clinical area had identified various clinical incidents...

When a person with dementia is leaving hospital

Planning the discharge should start on admission and involve the multidisciplinary team, the family and carer and, importantly, the person themselves (NHSES, 2011). The key aims of discharge planning...