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Cancer rates are increasing, and more people are living with cancer and its consequences. Healthcare students will be caring for people affected by cancer in all clinical contexts. However, pre-registration programmes can include limited cancer education and not all students will have the opportunity for a clinical placement in a cancer setting. This can result in healthcare students feeling unprepared to care for people affected by cancer. To address this need, nine e-learning modules, collectively called The Foundations of Cancer Care, have been developed to support students' knowledge, understanding and confidence about cancer. This article outlines the development and peer review of The Foundations of Cancer Care. The resultant modules are freely available to all those with an Open Athens account or NHS or UK university email address via the NHS Learning Hub (https://learninghub.nhs.uk)., Competing Interests: Declaration of interest: none

The aim of this article is to outline the underpinning conceptual principles of advanced nursing and competency embedded in the Heart Failure Specialist Nurse Competency Framework, launched in January 2021. The authors refer to Benner's novice to expert pedagogy and explore how this provides a robust framework on which to assess the progress of the heart failure specialist nurse. Some key considerations are discussed, for example the importance of constructive feedback and feed-forward in the individual's learning cycle. Finally, plans for the future are discussed and the importance of evaluation in the authors' ongoing commitment to improving the learning experience.

Background: This thematic review was part of a bigger literature review into the effects of short-term urinary catheters on patients who are discharged home from an acute hospital., Aims: This integrated review examined the risks associated with short-term urinary catheters., Methods: The MEDLINE, British Nursing Index and CINAHL databases were searched for studies published between 2013 and 2018 that researched the effects of short-term urinary catheters on patients., Findings: Twelve research studies were included, which showed the presence of short-term indwelling urinary catheters increased the risk of infection, length of hospital stay and mortality rates., Conclusion: Short-term urinary catheters should be strictly monitored and removed as soon as they are not required.

This article has introduced the reader to research ethics. In order to to show the development of the codes of ethics and guidelines in use today, it has briefly reviewed the most infamous unethical research studies. Learning from these traumatic and often cruel moments i history gave impetus to the development of international ethical guidelines, driving research conduct and protecting the rights and safety of those participating in studies today. Research within the NHS would not exist without the hundreds of thousands of patients who volunteer their time and indeed their 'selves' to research . Researchers have a duty to those patients, to treat them with the dignity, respect and care they would afford any patient. In addition to serving as researchers, they must also act as patient advocates to ensure that every stage of the research process embraces all elements of ethical codes and frameworks and patients should expect nothing less.

The White Paper, Equity and Excellence:liberating the NHS (DH, 2010) emphasises the promotion and conduct of research as a core NHS role. The updated NHS Constitution(DH, 2013) outlines its commitment to innovation and also to the promotion and conduct of research to improve the current and future health and social care of the population.Furthermore, NHS England (2013) in its guidance, Everyone Counts: planning for patients 2014/15 to 2018/19, identified research as one of the essential elements for a successful and sustainable health economy recommending research and evaluation be embedded across the whole patient pathway.The 6 Cs were launched in 2012 to drive the Compassion in Practice vision with calls for every nurse, midwife and member of the care team to implement them into practice (NHS Commissioning Board, 2013). The 6 Cs can be embedded into the world of clinical research so that research patients are afforded the same levels of compassionate care by all members of the research workforce and, indeed, to drive compassion in practice for the researchers themselves. It is suggested that this will result in high quality, compassionate personalised care for all and that the biggest voices will be those of the patients themselves.

Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals (AHPs) are multiskilled with a variety of career options available to them. As nurses develop they can specialize in many areas, performing many different and diverse roles. One of these roles is within the world of research. This paper is a basic exploration of the role of the research nurse or practitioner and how crucial this is in the development and management of research. A series of papers will follow outlining important areas of the research process offering a comprehensive set of developmental areas for both novice and experienced researchers. The term 'nurse' will also refer to midwives and AHPs.

This article presents a narrative literature review of the psychosocial impact on family life of caring for a child diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Diagnosis of long-term illness in a child causes major upheaval in the lives of both the child and family. Normal family life is often emotionally, socially, physically and financially disrupted. Amid such disruption, parents attempt to cope by creating a semblance of order in their lifestyle. Within an interdisciplinary approach to caring, the children's nurse plays a pivotal role in supporting families to establish such order and reconstruct their lives, while coming to terms with the knowledge that their child could die prematurely. In addition, the nurse, in his/her role as teacher and educator, empowers parents, children and young people with the knowledge to make informed decisions and assists parents in developing the skills (often technical) to care for their child. Cystic fibrosis is one such condition in childhood, and this article explores the main psychosocial issues experienced by families caring for their child following diagnosis of CF, as raised in the literature.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a serious and increasing problem in the UK. Large numbers of people are suffering from the disease, and its onset is occurring at younger ages, requiring prolonged treatment. Current therapies pose challenges for patients and health professionals, and new methods of treatment are therefore needed. This article examines a group of treatments--the incretin therapies--which have recently become available. It considers the clinical evidence for these therapies relevant to UK-based prescribing, and their potential benefits for patients with T2D. Awareness of these therapies, the evidence supporting them, and the clinical recommendations for their use will allow diabetes nurses to expand treatment options for patients with T2D.

This article examines the importance of securing/fixing indwelling urinary catheters. The Oxford English dictionary interlinks the two words-'secure' and 'fix'-as having the same meaning. To secure the catheter should not be confused with 'support', whereby the weight of the urine drainage bag is supported with the use of velcro straps or a sleeve. The author introduces the need for the concept of this practice to be at the forefront of nurses' minds in all settings, and this is demonstrated through the use of case studies. Current guidance in this area is reviewed, as well as the problems that can arise when catheters are not secured properly and the available products for health professionals to use.

Faecal incontinence and constipation are examples of functional bowel disorders that can lead to distressing psychological and physical symptoms which seriously impact upon quality of life. Rectal irrigation has been introduced as a treatment option for such patients. This article critically reviews and evaluates the current evidence on the effectiveness of rectal irrigation as a management option for functional bowel disorders. The review was conducted using BIOSIS, AHMED, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Web of Knowledge. From 1051 articles identified through the literacy search, only nine were specifically concerned with the evaluation of rectal irrigation as a treatment option for functional bowel disorders. The results of the literature review do indicate that rectal irrigation could be a successful treatment option for some people, however, variations between studies and methodological limitations mean evidence of the effectiveness of rectal irrigation is lacking.

Delivering an oral presentation at a conference can be a demanding yet exhilarating experience. It can create a variety of emotions such as excitement, joy and achievement--but for many the overriding emotions are those of anxiety, fear and dread. A certain amount of nervousness can enhance your performance but how can you avoid pre-presentation nerves developing into full-blown anxiety and fear. The key to successful conference presentation is meticulous preparation and practise. This article guides you through ten steps to help maximize your success and enjoyment.

Receiving a letter confirming acceptance for you to present a poster at a conference can evoke mixed emotions. Joy, panic, fear and dread are among the many possible emotions and this is not exclusive to first time presenters. Developing an effective poster presentation is a skill that you can learn and can provide a rewarding way to present your work in a manner less intimidating than oral presentation (Shelledy, 2004). The key to successful poster presentation is meticulous, timely, well informed preparation. This article outlines ten steps to help guide you through the process to maximize your success.

There is an increasing importance being placed on the dissemination of research and other high quality evidence. This article is the first in a series of three that will assist you in ensuring that your work is presented in the best light at the conference of your choice. In this first article we guide you through the ten steps you need to take to ensure that you submit the best possible abstract to the scientific committee. We also will guide you through the process of selection.

Nurses spend a great deal of time and effort in constructing a variety of assignments and dissertations as part of courses, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is not uncommon to read comments from lecturers such as 'this requires only minimal work to be published'. It might be assumed that many assignments and dissertations would therefore go on to appear in print; however it is questionable just how many of them ever do materialize in journals. The reality is that this transition can be a challenging process. This is highlighted when a search of the literature for use in preparation for this article the authors discovered a dearth of advice to help potential authors make the transition from good quality assignment to published article. With this in mind we will try to guide you through a process that will assist you in converting your academic work into an article fit for publication.

There is an increasing expectation that nurses, whether they work in clinical practice management, education or research, will publish. At the same time there remains a mystique about the best way to go about this. This article provides a simple commentary suggesting ten steps to help you publish in a professional journal.

The safe administration of medicines is a key nursing activity. The most common type of medication error is administering the wrong dose (Armitage, 2006). To administer medicines correctly, nurses must apply appropriate knowledge specific to the patients receiving medication, and execute the skills required to administer medicines to a high degree of accuracy. This may include mathematical calculations. The potential for errors in child health settings is compounded by the complex calculations often required to ensure children receive the appropriate dose. Nurse educators face dilemmas in both pre- and post-registration settings relating to students' lack of ability to undertake drug calculations without a calculator. This means that students may not be able to follow the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines (NMC, 2004b). Medication dosage calculations continue to be problematic for qualified nurses. It is too early to assess whether changes in state education will improve pre-registration students' abilities to apply skills in basic mathematical principles to drug calculations. In the meantime, it is important that nurses who appear to have a weakness in applying mathematical principles to drug calculations seek, and are offered, the opportunity to develop these skills.

There is a wealth of literature that addresses the needs of informal caregivers and the needs of health professionals caring for someone with a life-threatening illness. However, there is a paucity of research that deals with nurses who are caring for their own relative who has a life-threatening illness. This qualitative study explores the information needs, support systems available, and the impact that this experience has upon the nurse's quality of life. Individual semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith and Osbourne, 2003). Four superordinate themes emerged from the data: quality of life, personal and professional boundaries, disempowerment and positive aspects to the role. These themes were then linked to validated models of caregiving (Caron and Bowers 2003; Sherwood et al, 2004) to further explore their impact upon the nurse in his/her role as family carer. This study has established that nurses providing care for their own relatives have specific needs with regard to their dual role as a health professional and family carer. In understanding these specific needs, it may be possible to provide a more effective and equal level of support for these individuals. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Action research was used to compare and evaluate the current nursing practice of urinary catheter removal. The aim of this study was to plan, implement and evaluate a trial without catheter (TWOC) model in primary care and compare it with the clinical procedure being performed in the secondary care setting. Two sample groups were used; the first sample consisted of 10 patients who had undergone a TWOC in hospital, and the second consisted of 10 patients who had a TWOC in the community. An interview with the urology nurse specialist was also undertaken to gain further qualitative data. Statistics were analysed using an unpaired t-test. Results showed that 80% of hospital patients and all community patients stated that given the choice they would prefer to have their TWOC at home. Infection rates were monitored and 40% of hospital TWOC patients developed a urine infection, whereas no infection was reported in the community group. From this small study, it was evident that there were major benefits to providing a TWOC service within the community setting.

A survey of the mental health needs of older adults, conducted in 1996 by the Mental Health Services of Salford NHS Trust (Watts et al, 1996), confirmed earlier research findings that mental health problems in older adults are under-recognized and under-treated. This article reports on this survey, the aims of which were to identify within an inner city area in northwest England the extent and method by which primary care staff detect mild to moderate mental health problems in later life, and the best way to support the teams to detect and manage these issues effectively. As a result, this 11-week survey was conducted which sought to interview all attendees aged 65 years and above at a general practice. Given the high levels of psychological distress and low levels of identification, education/training was provided for practice staff, enabling them to develop the use of appropriate screening tools. The article concludes by discussing how the evaluation of the project by the primary healthcare teams involved has demonstrated that primary healthcare nurses can be trained in brief assessment tools and management techniques suitable for primary healthcare settings.