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Background: Nurse-led care is well established in Rheumatology in the UK and provides follow-up care to people with inflammatory arthritis including treatment, monitoring, patient education and psychosocial support., Aim: The aim of this study is to compare and contrast interactional style with patients in physician-led and nurse-led Rheumatology clinics., Design: A multi-centre mixed methods approach was adopted., Settings: Nine UK Rheumatology out-patient clinics were observed and audio-recorded May 2009-April 2010., Participants: Eighteen practitioners agreed to participate in clinic audio-recordings, researcher observations, and note-taking. Of 9 nurse specialists, 8 were female and 5 of 9 physicians were female. Eight practitioners in each group took part in audio-recorded post-clinic interviews. All patients on the clinic list for those practitioners were invited to participate and 107 were consented and observed. In the nurse specialist cohort 46% were female; 71% had a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The physician cohort comprised 31% female; 40% with RA and 16% unconfirmed diagnosis. Nineteen (18%) of the patients observed were approached for an audio-recorded telephone interview and 15 participated (4 male, 11 female)., Methods: Forty-four nurse specialist and 63 physician consultations with patients were recorded. Roter's Interactional Analysis System (RIAS) was used to code this data. Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted (16 practitioner, 15 patients) within 24h of observed consultations and were analyzed using thematic analysis., Results: RIAS results illuminated differences between practitioners that can be classified as 'socio-emotional' versus 'task-focussed'. Specifically, nurse specialists and their patients engaged significantly more in the socio-emotional activity of 'building a relationship'. Across practitioners, the greatest proportion of 'patient initiations' were in 'giving medical information' and reflected what patients wanted the practitioner to know rather than giving insight into what patients wanted to know from practitioners. Interviews revealed that continuity of practitioner was highly valued by patients as offering the benefits of an established relationship and of emotional support beyond that of the clinical encounter. This fostered familiarity not only with their particular medical history, but also their individual personal circumstances, and this encouraged patient participation. In contrast, practitioners (mis)perceived waiting times to have a greater impact on patient satisfaction. However, practitioner interviews also revealed that clinic structure is often outside of the practitioner control and can undermine the possibility of maintaining patient-practitioner continuity., Conclusions: This research enhances understanding of nurse specialist consultation styles in Rheumatology, specifically the value of their socio-emotional communication skills to enhance patient participation., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lung cancer nurse specialists (LCNS) are integral to the multidisciplinary clinical team, providing personalised physical and psycho-social interventions, and care management for people with lung cancer. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommend that all patients have access to a LCNS. We conducted a national study assessing whether there is variation in access to and timing of LCNS assessment., Methods: The National Cancer Action Team's LCNS workforce census in England was linked with patient and hospital Trust data from the English National Lung Cancer Audit. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess features associated with LCNS assessment., Results: 128,124 lung cancer patients were seen from 2007 to 2011. LCNS assessment confirmation was 'yes' in 62%, 'no' in 6% and 'missing' in 32%. Where (in clinic versus ward) and when (before versus after diagnosis) patients were assessed by a LCNS also varied. Older patients with poor performance status, early cancer stage, and comorbidities were less likely to be assessed; there was no difference with sex or socioeconomic group. Patients receiving any anti-cancer treatment were more likely to be assessed. Assessment was lower in Trusts with high annual patient numbers (odds ratio=0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.37-0.91) and where LCNS caseload>250 (0.69, 0.41-1.16, although not statistically significant), but increased where workload was conducted mostly by band 8 nurses (2.22, 1.22-4.02)., Conclusion: LCNS assessment varied by patient and Trust features, which may indicate unmet need for some patients. The current workforce needs to expand as well as retain experienced LCNSs., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This article describes a small-scale study of children's experiences of using a tablet computer with pre-installed apps designed to support individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes. A total of 15 children (seven boys and eight girls), aged from 6.5 to 16, chose to use a tablet during their stay in hospital, and were then interviewed by telephone within two weeks after discharge. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis, and subcategories were abstracted to categories. The results consisted of three categories and seven subcategories. The children found it helpful to use a range of different styles of learning about diabetes. A combination of educational tools and learning strategies, including conversations with nurses who are diabetes specialists, and the use of tablet-based apps, helps to support newly diagnosed children's learning about type 1 diabetes and its management.

All UK nurses and midwives will need to follow the revalidation process to renew their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and demonstrate that they practise safely and effectively. The system is designed to help nurses and midwives develop professionally throughout their careers, as well as ensuring public confidence in the professions. Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) in South Wales was one of 19 NMC revalidation pilot sites. This involved nurses and midwives, who were due to complete their self-declaration between January 1 and September 30 2015, testing the revalidation processes. The aim of the article is to describe the experience of three paediatric nurses who participated in the pilot.

Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a long-term condition, therefore creating ongoing partnerships with families is a fundamental part of the role of a paediatric endocrine nurse specialist (PENS). Teaching children, young people and their families about GHD and exploring what it means to them and how they can manage their ongoing treatment is central to building positive relationships. Educating children about the management of their growth hormone treatment (GHT) is an ongoing process and professionals must respond to the changing needs for that information children may have as they grow and develop. Long-term relationships with families are strengthened by recognising and respecting the developing expertise of families as they gain confidence and competence to manage GHT. This article is the second of two parts. Part one was published in the February issue of Nursing Children and Young People and covered an overview of growth hormone, causes and clinical presentation of GHD, development and availability of GHT and the role of the PENS in building partnerships with parents. The focus of this article is the education role of the PENS and the importance of providing information that is appropriate to the child or young person's developmental age.

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) is pleased to provide this update on the integration of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) role in Canada. Many advances have occurred since the publication of the Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership special issue focused on advanced practice nursing (APN) in 2010. The CNA continues to promote and advance this APN role, and views the CNS as an essential and critical role for better care to Canadians.

Glaucoma is one of the single largest causes of irreversible blindness. Glaucomatous vision loss is preventable with the appropriate diagnostic testing and treatment. Ophthalmic nurses play and important role in ensuring the success of glaucoma diagnosis and treatment.

The possible involvement, although limited to the diagnostic phase of the procedure, of nonmedical staff (particularly endoscopy nurses) in lower digestive endoscopy has recently been suggested. Computer-based simulators have demonstrated objective evaluation of technical skills in digestive endoscopy. The aim of this study was to evaluate basic colonoscopy skills of endoscopy nurses (naive operators), as compared with junior physician staff and senior endoscopists, through a virtual reality colonoscopy simulator. In this single-center, prospective, nonrandomized study, 3 groups of digestive endoscopy operators (endoscopy nurses, junior doctors [<150 previous colonoscopies], expert doctors [>500 previous colonoscopies and >200/year]) completed six diagnostic cases generated by an endoscopic simulator (AccuTouch, Immersion Medical, Gaithersburg, MD). The performance parameters, collected by the simulator, were compared between groups. Five parameters have been considered for statistical analysis: time spent to reach the cecum; pain of any degree; severe/extreme pain; amount of insufflated air; percentage of visualized mucosa. Statistical analysis to compare the three groups has been performed by means of Wilcoxon test for two independent samples and by means of Kruskal-Wallis test for three independent samples (p < .05). Sixteen operators have been studied (six endoscopy nurses, five junior doctors, and five senior doctors); 96 colonoscopic procedures have been evaluated. Statistically significant differences between experts and naive operators were observed regarding time to reach the cecum and induction of severe/extreme pain, with both Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon test (p < .05); all other comparisons did not reach statistical significance. Although, as expected, expert doctors exceeded both junior doctors and naive operators in some relevant quality parameters of simulated diagnostic colonoscopies, the results obtained by less expert performers--and particularly by nursing staff--appear satisfactory as in regards to most of the considered quality parameters and suggest a potential value of this device in effectively teaching basic lower digestive endoscopy to beginners in a relatively short time.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) in the clinical setting is recognized as an approach that leads to improved patient outcomes. Nurse educators (NEs), clinical coaches (CCs) and nurse specialists are in key positions to promote and facilitate EBP within clinical settings and have opportunities to advance practice. Therefore, it is important to understand their perceptions of factors promoting EBP and perceived barriers in facilitating EBP in clinical settings, before developing educational programmes. This paper reports findings from a study that aimed to explore NEs' , CCs' and nurse specialists' knowledge, skills and attitudes associated with EBP. This study used a questionnaire containing quantitative and a small number of qualitative questions to capture data collected from NEs, CCs and nurse specialists working at a tertiary health-care facility in Victoria, Australia. The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 435 people, of whom 135 responded (31%). Findings revealed that the three senior nurse groups relied heavily on personal experience, organizational policies and protocols as formal sources of knowledge. Furthermore, they had positive attitudes towards EBP. However, participants demonstrated lack of knowledge and skills in appraising and utilizing evidence into practice. They indicated a desire to seek educational opportunities to upskill themselves in the process of EBP., (© 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.)

Since the role was introduced in the UK in 1989, the number of Parkinson's nurses has increased to 350. They are an integral part of the care people with the condition require, providing expert management of medication as well as emotional support. This article explores their work, its benefits and how Parkinson's UK supports them to care for those affected by the condition. It also profiles the career of PD nurse specialist and chair of the Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist Association Jacqueline Young.