Holding steady in the face of the storm

In March 2020, in order to accommodate COVID-19 intakes, there was pressure to release NHS beds. Elevated COVID-19 rates affected the admission and discharge of patients. The hospital bed management...

How to improve aseptic technique to reduce bloodstream infection during vascular access procedures

‘Sets of evidence-based practices that, when implemented collectively, improve the reliability of their delivery and improve patient outcomes. [They] contribute to infection prevention, reduce...

The cardiovascular system and associated disorders

The heart is located near the midline of the thoracic cavity, commonly known as the mediastinum, and rests on the diaphragm (Cook et al, 2021). The mediastinum is the space in the centre of the thorax...

Developing an e-learning curriculum to educate healthcare staff in the acute hospital setting about autism

First described in the 1940s, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong heterogeneous neurodevelopmental condition characterised by qualitative challenges with social communication, interaction and...

How a better understanding of nursing research roles may help to embed research into clinical structures

Misunderstandings surrounding the terminology and scope of practice within advanced and specialist nurses' roles continue to pervade the profession (Currey et al, 2011; Cooper et al, 2019; Cannaby et...

How many practice hours are required to become a registered nurse?

Recent NMC registrant figures demonstrate that nurses working in the UK come from all over the world, despite variances in compulsory practice hours. Table 1 illustrates this and demonstrates that...

Nurses at risk of multiple jeopardy over allegations of unprofessional behaviour

Nurses' exposure to multiple jeopardy is founded on the multifaceted nature of the duty they owe to their patients and the nature of their accountability. Accountability underpins the professionalism,...

Patient safety and clinical negligence: the importance of reflection

The COVID-19 pandemic is still with us as we have moved into the new normality of coping with the virus. There is now time for reflection on how events developed and progressed from a patient safety...

We can't respond to patient complaints using the one-size-fits-all approach

I question, therefore, to what extent the current NHS complaints process is fit for purpose. Which is why I was interested to read the latest research study by van Dael et al (2022), which sought to...

Support for adult survivors of lymphoma: a literature review

The literature search was conducted between 1 November and 15 November 2020, and comprehensive searching was used to ensure that all relevant research was identified (Aveyard et al, 2016). Table 1...

Exploring nurses' experiences of caring for patients participating in cancer clinical trials

In 2020, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) held an education and networking event in Birmingham as part of its ongoing Excellence in Research Programme aimed at supporting and further developing the CRN role...

Exploring the psychological impacts of a gestational cancer diagnosis on women: a literature review

The ‘Population, Exposure, Outcome’ framework (Polit and Beck, 2014) was used to develop the research question. The ‘population’ was pregnant women, the ‘exposure’ was gestational cancer diagnosis and...

Reporting meaningful personalised care data

The need to protect cancer nurses from exposure to hazardous drugs

Hazardous drugs deserve deep respect in their handling, due to their toxicity, but some concerns could be allayed by implementing a comprehensive set of exposure controls, according to Dr Melissa...

The voice of ostomates: an exploration of stoma care in England

The survey was developed by the authors and focused on ostomates with a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy. The purpose was to capture the lived experiences and views of ostomates about the stoma...