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Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of recorded smoking status, nicotine dependence assessment, and nicotine dependence treatment provision; and to examine the patient characteristics associated with the recording of smoking status. Method: A retrospective systematic medical record audit was conducted of all psychiatric inpatient discharges over a six-month period (1 September 2005 to 28 February 2006), at a large Australian psychiatric hospital, with approximately 2,000 patient discharges per year. A one-page audit tool identifying patient characteristics and prevalence of recorded nicotine dependence treatment, and requiring ICD-10-AM diagnoses coding was used. Results: From 1,01 2 identified discharges, 1,000 medical records were available for audit (99%). Documentation of smoking status most frequently occurred on the admission form (28.8%) and diagnoses summary (41.6%). Documentation of nicotine dependence was not found in any record, and recording of any nicotine dependence treatment was negligible (0-0.5%). The rate of recorded smoking status on discharge summaries was 6%. Patients with a diagnosis of alcohol, cannabis, sedative use disorders or asthma were twice as likely to have their smoking status recorded compared to those who did not have these diagnoses. Conclusions: Mental health services, by failing to diagnose and document treatment for nicotine dependence, do not conform to current clinical practice guidelines, despite nicotine dependence being the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disorder. Implications: Considerable system change and staff support is required to provide an environment where a primary prevention approach such as smoking care can be sustained. Key words: smoking, mental health, audit. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00530.x

Summary The number of advanced nurse practitioners in the UK is growing, but few have matched the achievements of Irene Molloy, Erica Thomas and Clare Grevin in becoming surgical practitioners. [...]

OBJECTIVES: To determine the acceptability of intervention strategies that increase the responsible service of alcohol by nonmetropolitan rugby league clubs. METHOD: Rugby league clubs were provided an information kit and advice by local public health workers, police and a lead agency regarding their responsible service of alcohol practices. Rugby League clubs and public health workers completed an acceptability survey at the conclusion of the study. RESULTS: Data were collected from 160 contactable clubs (100% consent) and 12 of 14 participating public health workers. Almost all clubs reported of contact with the lead agency, public health workers and police to be acceptable. Fifty-nine percent of clubs reported contact with public health workers to be useful. One-third of the public health workers considered that they were not the most suitable professional group to be involved in delivering the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of a suggested culture of harmful alcohol consumption among rugby league participants and spectators, non-metropolitan rugby league clubs appear receptive to public health strategies that increase their responsible service of alcohol. IMPLICATIONS: The ability of the public health sector to meet this opportunity appears limited, and may require additional strategies to increase the capacity of public health workers to develop/deliver inter-sectoral interventions in this setting.

Summary Songs for Your Body is a website developed by a nurse who is also a musician to help educate people with learning disabilities about personal, social, health education and [...]

This paper describes development, over a five-year period, of the Hunter Region Health Promoting Schools Project in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The project implemented the principles and philosophy of the Health Promoting Schools concept and evaluated its effectiveness using a randomized controlled trial involving 22 public secondary schools. An overview of the preliminary intervention model based on the health promoting schools philosophy and trialed in a pilot study is provided. The authors also outline barriers to, and difficulties in, implementing the philosophically based intervention model in the secondary school setting. The current intervention approach, which evolved over five years, is described in relation to the roles played by project team members and school communities. In addition, the authors outline guiding principles arising from the new approach which facilitated adoption of health promotion strategies in secondary school settings. (J Sch Health. 1999;69(6):227-232), Much has been written about the health of young people and the potential role schools play in enhancing and maintaining health. A number of models for comprehensive school health[1-4] have [...]

Practice nurse Sandra Sheppard runs a clinic one afternoon each week inside a supermarket. The three-month trial is the latest foray by supermarket chain Sainsbury's into healthcare service innovation. The [...]

SUMMARY Dogs have been used for many years to help people who are blind or have hearing loss. Now they are being trained to help people with medical conditions such [...]

SUMMARY Nurse specialists can make a world of difference to patients with rare diseases, who otherwise can struggle to get an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Keywords Rare diseases * [...]

England's only nurse coroner, Catherine Mason, says that other coroners pick her brains because of her nursing background and knowledge of hospital procedures. Ms Mason (pictured) completed a registered general [...]

SUMMARY Personal experiences of good and poor care led to Ashley Brooks becoming a patient champion. He will speak about his work at a Nursing Standard conference next week. Keywords [...]

SUMMARY Following a tough childhood in south London, Mustafa Shiyanbola has made a successful career in nursing. He is now using his personal experience to mentor others. Keywords Nurse education [...]

Will GP commissioning present opportunities for nurses to have more say in local health care or will they be excluded from commissioning decisions? No one seems certain how nurses will [...]

SUMMARY Being awarded a Florence Nightingale Foundation scholarship had a major effect on Elizabeth Robb. She is now the foundation's chief executive. Keywords Florence Nightingale Foundation * Research * Scholarships [...]

SUMMARY A nurse-led children's hospice in Wales is acting as a model of care for other services. Keywords Children's hospice * Life-limiting conditions * Long-term care * Palliative care * [...]

SUMMARY After an impressive career in nursing, Celia Grandison-Markey has retired from the NHS. She now acts as a mentor to up-and-coming nurses. Keywords Mental health nursing * Education * [...]

SUMMARY Bupa nurses who have had specialised training are making a difference to people with dementia. Keywords Dementia * Dementia champions * Nursing homes * Education and training * Alzheimer's [...]

SUMMARY Working with young offenders has its challenges, but also many rewards. Keywords Health assessment * Health promotion * Sexual health * Substance misuse * Vaccination * Young offenders institutions [...]

SUMMARY At the age of 38 nurse Garth Ravenhill was diagnosed with Parkinson's. Since then he and his wife Kim have had to re-evaluate their lives. Keywords Parkinson's disease * [...]

Mary Seacole was adored by the troops she nursed on the front line in the Crimea. But the black nurse from Jamaica was snubbed by the establishment and faded from [...]

Specialist rheumatology nurse Alison Kent, pictured right, has had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since she was 18 and used her experience in her work in the outpatients' clinic she ran for [...]

Laura Taylor knows exactly what patients are talking about when they complain about the debilitation of endometriosis, a condition in which uterine tissue is misplaced in the body. Ms Taylor [...]

Summary An NHS website has been launched to offer information and guidance to parents of young babies and to reassure them they are doing the right thing. Keywords Baby LifeCheck [...]

SUMMARY Suzanna Rose has had a high-flying career in mental health. Now, she is looking forward to a busy retirement. Keywords British Red Cross * Cochrane Reviews * Disaster planning [...]

SUMMARY Claire Bertschinger came to public attention when she was filmed working in a feeding station in Ethiopia. Twenty five years on, she is still helping the underprivileged. Keywords A-CET [...]

SUMMARY District nurse Shirley Willis has become a Queen's Nurse, an award which demonstrates a commitment to patient-centred care. Keywords Community nursing * Education and development * Leadership. Patient-centred care [...]

Two UK nurses travelled to Russia recently to explore developments in community nursing. Their visit helped cement a long-standing partnership between the Moscow Red Cross and the Queen's Nursing Institute [...]

SUMMARY Nurse and musician Edwin Humphreys combines his talents to produce songs about personal and sexual health for people with learning disabilities. Keywords Learning disabilities * Sexual health * Personal [...]

SUMMARY With her background in gynaecological oncology, nurse Cathy Hughes is well suited to her job as cancer lead at the National Patient Safety Agency. Keywords Chemotherapy * Delayed diagnosis [...]

SUMMARY Refugee camps can exist for decades, with few permanent nurses and medics. A United Nations' programme is providing educational and reference material via mobile libraries. Keywords Refugee health * [...]

The computer has crashed, an outbreak of diarrhoea and vomiting has hit the ward, drugs have gone missing, a patient has fallen off her commode and broken her leg, while [...]

SUMMARY Every year, Crisis recruits large numbers of volunteers to provide services to homeless people over the Christmas period. Nurses provide a range of care in a number of centres. [...]

It's only been three years since the Department of Health (DH)launched its initiative to spread telecare systems across England, thereby anchoring health and social care for older people more firmly [...]

RELAXING IN comfy chairs in a quiet, dimly lit room are half a dozen people with cancer. They are listening to the voice of a therapist taking them through relaxation [...]

THE AVERAGE age of the first-time house buyer has jumped from 24 to 27 in the past ten years as the prices of houses and flats have rocketed. Prices are [...]

STEPHANIE GOTOBED trained as a nurse when she came to Britain from Jamaica at the age of 18. For the next 30 years she worked as an enrolled nurse, becoming [...]

Admiral nurses are mental health nurse specialists working mainly in the community to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their carers. The charity Dementia UK supports [...]

For years there has been an anomaly in the way clinical negligence claims are settled in cases brought against practice nurses who make a mistake at work. Legal liability in [...]

To celebrate its 100th anniversary Woman's Weekly magazine reprinted its first edition, which included a feature on 'How to Become a Nurse'. At a time when there were few career [...]

One of the aims of the Protection of Freedoms Bill, which is currently progressing through parliament, is the amalgamation of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the Criminal Records Bureau [...]

The British Lung Foundation (BLF) is recruiting more respiratory nurse specialists to care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in areas where prevalence is high. The [...]

PATIENTS IN England are five times more likely than those in Wales and three times more likely than those in Scotland to get access to life-extending cancer drugs, according to [...]

When Royal Mail chief medical adviser Steve Boorman set out to deal with workplace health issues, the results were quick and impressive. By increasing occupational health support, attendance improved by [...]

SUMMARY The NHS is paying large amounts of compensation to patients as a result of a failure to assess patients' risk of venous thromboembolism. Keywords Venous thromboembolism * Deep vein [...]

RCN research and development adviser Ann McMahon is on a mission to encourage innovation in nursing and champion the profession's achievements in this field. At a time when the health [...]

SUMMARY A steep rise in the number of HIV positive people has led to calls for routine screening in areas with a high incidence of the infection. Keywords HIV * [...]

SUMMARY Children's charity ChildLine has reported an increase in looked after children approaching them for help. Nurses in many settings can identify those in need. Keywords ChildLine * Looked after [...]

SUMMARY Community nurses can turn to a new resource on the health of migrant and travelling patients. Keywords: Migrant Health Guide * Health Protection Agency * Infectious diseases * Public [...]

In the wake of scandals about standards of patient care in several hospitals, there has been an increasing focus on what can be done to stop them happening again. There [...]

SUMMARY Children who have used the new My Asthma packs say their compliance with medication has improved. Keywords Asthma * My Asthma pack * Action plan * Children * Monitoring [...]

SUMMARY Primary school children in: Devon are being introduced to the profession. Keywords Nurses' Day * Primary school pupils * Education * Nurses and nursing, Recruitment ********** Improving the image [...]