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Accurately defining and modelling competence in medication dosage calculation problem-solving (MDC-PS) is a fundamental pre-requisite to measuring competence, diagnosing errors and determining the necessary design and content of professional education programmes. In this paper we advance an MDC-PS competence model that illustrates the relationship between conceptual competence (dosage problem-understanding), calculation competence (dosage-computation) and technical measurement competence (dosage-measurement). To facilitate bridging of the theory-practice gap it is critical that such models are operationalised within a wider education framework that supports the learning, assessment and synthesis of cognitive competence (the knowing that and knowing why of MDC-PS) and functional competence (the know-how and skills associated with the professional practice of MDC-PS in clinical settings). Within the context of supporting the learning and diagnostic assessment of MDC-PS we explore PhD fieldwork that challenges the value of pedagogical approaches that focus solely on abstract information, that isolate the process of knowledge construction from its application in practice settings and contribute to the generation of conceptual errors. We consider misconceptions theory and the concept of mathematical 'dropped stitches' and offer an assessment model and program designed to diagnose flawed arithmetical operation and computation constructs., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

This paper introduces this Nurse Education in Practice 'Safety in Numbers' series. We introduce the background and seven papers that explore the outcomes of a 20-year programme of healthcare education translation research and education action research that focuses on medication dosage calculation problem-solving (MDC-PS) education., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients with advanced life-limiting diseases have high information needs concerning prognosis yet discussions between patients and healthcare professionals are either avoided or inaccurate due to over-optimism. Available prognostic models are problematic. Literature indicates that hospital specialist palliative care professionals are frequently asked to prognosticate, although their experience of prognostication is unknown. Identifying this experience will support the development of prognosis training for hospital specialist palliative care professionals., Aim: To explore hospital specialist palliative care professionals' experience of prognostication., Research Questions: 'How do specialist palliative care team members prognosticate?'; 'How do they view prognostication?', Design: Qualitative research - focus group interviews., Setting/participants: Three UK hospital specialist palliative care teams. Participants included medical doctors and palliative care nurses. Inclusion/exclusion criteria: member of hospital specialist palliative care team with knowledge and experience of prognostication. Numbers of participants: four hospital specialist palliative medicine consultants, three senior doctors in training, nine clinical nurse specialists., Results: Two major themes: Difficulties of prognostication; Benefits of prognostication. Eleven sub-themes: Difficulties (Non-malignant disease; Communicating uncertainty; Seeking definitive prognosis; Participants' feelings; Confidence in prognostication; Estimating prognosis; Dealing with reaction of prognosis; Prognostic error); Benefits (Patient informed decision-making prioritizing needs and care; Family-prioritizing commitments; Services accessing funding and services planning patient care)., Conclusions: Findings highlight lack of evidence to support practice, and identify the complexity and emotional labour involved in prognostication by hospital specialist palliative care team members, and are used to discuss recommendations for further research and practice.

Although exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of infant life is recommended in the UK, there is little information on the extent of exclusive breastfeeding. This study has taken the 1996 and 2003 World Health Organization (WHO) definitions of breastfeeding and investigated breastfeeding rates in the first 6 months of life in infants born to mothers enrolled in a longitudinal, representative, population-based cohort study--the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Information about breastfeeding and introduction of solids was available for 11 490 infants at 6 months of age (81% of live births). Exclusive breastfeeding declined steadily from 54.8% in the first month to 31% in the third, and fell to 9.6% in the fourth month mainly due to the introduction of solids to the infants. In the first 2 months, complementary feeding (breastmilk and solid/semi-solid foods with any liquid including non-human milk) was used in combination, and declined from 22% in the first month to 16.8% in the second due to a switch to exclusive commercial infant formula feeding. Replacement feeding (exclusive commercial infant formula or combined with any liquid or solid/semi-solid food but excluding breastmilk) increased steadily from 21.9% in the first month to 67.1% by the seventh. This obscured the change from exclusive commercial infant formula feeding only to commercial infant formula feeding plus solids/semi-solids, a change which started in the third month and was complete by the fifth. Using categories in the 1996 and 2003 WHO definitions, such as complementary feeding and replacement feeding, presented difficulties for an analysis of the extent of breastfeeding in this population.

In this paper we seek to explore the socialisation process experienced by novice nurse academics when they make the transition from the health sector into the education sector. We will do this by identifying the theoretical tensions between individual freedom in the context of organisational needs. The ramifications of these tensions will be highlighted and solutions for raising awareness as to how to manage them are discussed. We conclude that a socialisation process that protects individual freedom and promotes self-development is one that carries the greatest benefit for the novice nurse academic and the educational institution.

Part 1 of this article discussed the process of evaluating patient satisfaction by means of unstructured, in-depth interviews. In this part, the content of interviews will be presented and the analytic domains derived from the research will be described. These are 'nursing', 'the hospital' and 'patients' concerns', and the categories which make up these domains will be discussed.

The research reported in this article formed part of a project evaluating nursing developments in four demonstration wards in one health authority, and the article focuses on evaluation of patient satisfaction. The evaluation of patient satisfaction is a topic surrounded by much methodological debate and therefore it was necessary to clarify the issues involved at the planning stage of the study. The 'process' aspects of evaluating patient satisfaction will be discussed here, while the content of patient interviews will be the subject of Part 2.

A group of male and female general nurses was tested using the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), with statistical modifications, to determine the degree of pshychologically 'androgynous' sex role characterization, so that comparisons might be drawn between the sexes regarding attributes commonly held to be desirable for nurses. Some indicators for future trends in nurse recruitment are given.