Minimising a ‘twindemic’

‘Alongside concerns about an autumn spike of COVID-19 infections, is the possibility of a major influenza epidemic arising from the lack of circulating influenza virus over the last 2 years due to...

Medication savings for the NHS and for patients

Over the years, cheaper versions of the same drugs have been acquired by NHS England. An example of this is the drug adalimumab (NHS England, 2022), which is used to treat over 45 000 patients with...

Infection control in the community: recap on policy and procedure

Use a wrap instead: using compression wraps in lymphoedema and venous disease

The lymphatics are a complex system that drain fluid out of the body's tissues and back into the circulatory system. Initial lymphatics are made up of a single layer of endothelial cells—the cells...

Treating head lice: a case study

Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are tiny parasitic insects that infest the hairs of the human head and feed on blood from the scalp. Female head lice lay eggs near the scalp. These eggs are...

Managing fire risk in housebound people who smoke and require air-alternating pressure-relieving equipment

Elderly persons with decreased mobility and dementia are at risk of death in a residential fire (Runyan et al, 1992). Fatal dwelling-house fires account for 10% of all accidental deaths in the UK and...

Charting new territory: medication administration records and transcribing in district nursing services

In Wales, district nursing teams have highlighted concerns about accessing MAR charts in a timely way and are actively seeking solutions, which includes transcribing of medicines. Transcribing is...

Exploring community nurses' views on the implementation of a local Weight Management Pathway

NICE (2014) recommend the use of tiered pathways within their weight management guidelines, with various pathways being utilised across the UK (Supplementary Information 1). Locally, however, we...

Community nursing: a sense of belonging

Wanting ‘to belong’ somewhere is a strong human instinct and something I have been reflecting on a lot recently. My thoughts have focussed on how many student nurses in the class of 2022 will find...

The scourge of backache

‘There is a consistent gradient of higher rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders reported by both men and women aged 45 years and over compared to those aged 16-34 years. Higher rates of...

Nurses’ role in smoking cessation interventions

For those people who would like to stop smoking, nurses can play a key role, with nurse prescribers helping deliver life-changing treatment.

Understanding the dying person's perspective

To understand the patient's perspective, it is important to look at their meaning of life, which is better understood as a construct, flexible enough to vary with each person, tribe, culture,...