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An abstract is presented of the article "Exercise or Exercise and Diet for Preventing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus" by L. J. Orozco et al. which appeared in a 2008 issue of "Cochrane Database Systematic Review" along with a brief commentary on the abstract.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article on the health care programme developed by several universities for practice nurses.

The article presents questions and answers related to the treatment of dog bites including the evidence for the role of prophylactic antibiotics and suturing in primary care.

Objective: To identify men's perceptions of the impact of the physical consequences of a radical prostatectomy on their quality of life., Introduction: Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer and second most common cause of cancer death of men in the Western world. Compared to other prostate cancer treatments, trials report worse urinary incontinence and sexual function and similar bowel function among men with prostate-specific antigen detected prostate cancer who underwent radicalized prostatectomy., Inclusion Criteria: This review included men of all ages and nationalities who had undergone a radical prostatectomy as treatment for any stage of prostate cancer. It considered studies that investigated:Any setting where the topic was addressed with participants meeting the inclusion criteria was included. The review considered studies that focused on qualitative data including, but not limited to: phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography and action research. Studies were included if they reported results relating to one or more of the phenomena of interest. Studies not written in English were excluded., Methods: The search strategy aimed to find published studies from six databases from database inception to November 2017. Methodological quality of studies was independently assessed by two reviewers using the standardized JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. For data extraction, the standardized Joanna Briggs Institute System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information (JBI SUMARI) data extraction tool was used. A meta-aggregation was undertaken and the final synthesis of the findings was reached through discussion. Results are presented as five aggregated qualitative syntheses., Results: Nineteen qualitative studies were included in the review. The five synthesized findings were: CONCLUSIONS:: Urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction are significant side-effects of radical prostatectomy which have a negative impact on men's quality of life for which they feel ill prepared, and physical and psychosocial support is essential.

Background: Malnutrition is one of the key issues affecting the health of older people (>65years). With an aging population the problem is expected to increase further since the prevalence of malnutrition increases with age. Studies worldwide have identified that some older patients with good appetites do not receive sufficient nourishment because of inadequate feeding assistance. Mealtime assistance can enhance nutritional intake, clinical outcomes and patient experience., Objectives/aim: To determine the effectiveness of meal time assistance initiatives for improving nutritional intake and nutritional status for older adult patients (>65years) in hospital settings and rehabilitation units. The review also sought to identify and explore the perceptions and experiences of older adult patients and those involved with their care., Design: Mixed methods systematic review., Data Sources: A search of electronic databases to identify published studies (CINAHL, MEDLINE, British Nursing Index, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Web of Science (1998-2015) was conducted. Relevant journals were hand-searched and reference lists from retrieved studies were reviewed. The search was restricted to English language papers. The key words used were words that described meal time assistance for adult patients in hospital units or rehabilitation settings., Review Methods: The review considered qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies that included interventions for mealtime assistance, observed mealtime assistance or discussed experiences of mealtime assistance with staff, patients, relatives, volunteers or stakeholders. Extraction of data was undertaken independently by two reviewers. A further two reviewers assessed the methodological quality against agreed criteria., Findings: Twenty one publications covering 19 studies were included. Three aggregated mixed methods syntheses were developed: 1) Mealtimes should be viewed as high priority. 2a) Nursing staff, employed mealtime assistants, volunteers or relatives/visitors can help with mealtime assistance. 2b) Social interaction at mealtimes should be encouraged. 3) Communication is essential., Conclusions: A number of initiatives were identified which can be used to support older patients (>65years) at mealtimes in hospital settings and rehabilitation units. However, no firm conclusions can be drawn in respect to the most effective initiatives. Initiatives with merit include those that encourage social interaction. Any initiative that involves supporting the older patient (>65years) at mealtimes is beneficial. A potential way forward would be for nurses to focus on the training and support of volunteers and relatives to deliver mealtime assistance, whilst being available at mealtimes to support patients with complex nutritional needs., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The transition from student to newly qualified nurse can be stressful for many newly qualified nurses who feel inadequately prepared. A variety of support strategies to improve the transition process have been reported across the international literature but the effectiveness of such strategies is unknown., Objectives/aim: To determine the effectiveness of the main strategies used to support newly qualified nurses during the transition into the clinical workplace and, where identified, evaluate the impact of these on individual and organisational outcomes., Design: Systematic review., Data Sources: A search of electronic databases to identify published studies (CINAHL, MEDLINE, British Nursing Index, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsychLit, PsychINFO, PsychARTICLES, Web Of Science, EBM Reviews, BioMed, TRIP, ERIC, SCOPUS (January 2000-April 2011) was conducted. Relevant journals were hand-searched and reference lists from retrieved studies were reviewed to identify any further studies. The search was restricted to English language papers. The key words used were words that described new graduate nurses and support strategies (e.g. internship, residency, orientation programmes)., Review Methods: The inclusion criteria were quantitative studies that investigated the effectiveness of support strategies for newly qualified graduate nurses. Studies that involved students in their final year of graduate study were excluded (for example extern programmes). Extraction of data was undertaken independently by two reviewers. A further two reviewers assessed the methodological quality against agreed criteria., Results: A total of 8199 studies were identified from the database search and 30 met the inclusion criteria for the review. The evidence suggests that transition interventions/strategies do lead to improvements in confidence and competence, job satisfaction, critical thinking and reductions in stress and anxiety for the newly qualified nurse., Conclusions: This systematic review demonstrates the beneficial effects of transitional support strategies for newly qualified nurses from the perspective of the new nurse and their employer. The overall impact of support strategies appears positive, irrespective of the type of support provided. This may suggest that it is the organisations' focus on new graduate nurses that is important, rather than simply leaving them to acclimatise to their new role themselves. Future research should involve well designed randomised controlled trials with larger sample sizes, using more objective and reliable outcome measures., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Domestic violence has been described as a public health epidemic, with victims of domestic violence encountered in all health care settings. Within the United Kingdom the role of the health visitor (specialist community public health nurse) is to promote health in the whole community; every family with a child under five years has a named health visitor. Preparation for the health visitor role is unique to the United Kingdom. Health visitors are particularly well placed to identify and support mothers who are experiencing domestic violence., Objectives: The objective of this review was to synthesise the best available evidence relating to support provided by UK health visitors for mothers who have experienced domestic violence, from both the mothers and the health visitors' perspectives., Inclusion Criteria: The participants of interest were mothers who have experienced domestic violence and health visitors who offer support to those mothers.The self reported experiences of health visitor support provided to mothers who have experienced domestic violence, from the perspective of both the mothers and the health visitors providing the support.This review considered studies that focus on qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs such as ethnography, phenomenology, grounded theory, action research and feminist research., Search Strategy: Studies published up to April 2011 were included in the review. The search was restricted to English language studies. The databases searched were: Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, EMBASE, British Nursing Index and Archive, ASSIA and TRIP., Methodological Quality: Studies were assessed for methodological quality using the standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute., Data Extraction: Data were extracted using standardised data extraction tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute., Data Synthesis: Data synthesis used the Joanna Briggs Institute approach for meta-synthesis by meta-aggregation. Findings were synthesised into categories, which were aggregated into synthesised findings., Results: Four qualitative papers were included in this review. Forty-five findings were synthesised into eighteen categories, from which six synthesised findings were derived which answered the review objectives., Conclusions: Mothers who have experienced domestic violence were reluctant to disclose this to health visitors; those who did disclose felt unsupported. Health visitors perceive domestic violence differently and their knowledge of strategies to deal with mothers experiencing domestic violence is limited., Implications for Practice: Health visitors require appropriate training to enable them to recognise and discuss domestic violence, respond appropriately where they identify that mothers are experiencing domestic violence and provide support and guidance including information about, and appropriate referral to, support agencies., Implications for Research: Further research should determine what type of continuing training and support is effective for health visitors in identifying and supporting mothers who are experiencing domestic violence.

Executive Summary: Background: The transition period from student to newly qualified nurse where nurses are adjusting to their new role and consolidating their knowledge and skills can be stressful. It is a time when many newly qualified nurses are left feeling inadequately prepared. A variety of strategies to ease the transition process have been reported, which aim to increase confidence, competence, sense of belonging of new graduates, improve recruitment and retention and reduce turnover costs., Objectives: To synthesise the best available evidence on the effectiveness of support strategies and interventions aimed for newly qualified nurses., Methods: A comprehensive search was undertaken on major electronic databases to identify both published and unpublished studies from 2000 to the present date. Reference lists of retrieved papers were searched and authors contacted. Only quantitative studies published in English language were considered.Methodological quality and data extraction: Two reviewers independently assessed methodological quality and extracted data from the included studies. A third reviewer resolved any disagreements through discussion., Data Synthesis: The review did not identify comparable Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), and as such meta-analysis of the data was not appropriate. The data extracted from the included studies were synthesized into a narrative summary., Results: Thirty three studies were included in the review: RCT (1), Quasi-experimental (3) and observational/descriptive studies (29). Countries of origin were: USA (25), Australia (4), England (2), New Zealand (1) and Thailand (1). Studies were categorised according to the type of programme or support strategy provided: nurse internship/residency programmes (14) and graduate nurse orientation programmes (7), preceptorship (4), simulation (3) and mentoring (2), final year nursing students transition programs (2) and externship (1).Outcomes were categorised as being important to the employer (recruitment, retention, turnover rates, competence, confidence and costs), or to the new graduate (stress and anxiety reduction, job satisfaction, knowledge/skills acquisition, critical thinking and interpersonal skills, confidence and professional nursing behaviours)., Conclusions: The range of outcomes reported across the studies made it difficult to report firm conclusions. A general increase in level of confidence was noted, along with reduction in stress and anxiety. Some success in relation to increases in knowledge, critical thinking and levels of job satisfaction were reported. A number of studies reported a V shaped pattern (initial high levels, dipping at 6 months and then reverting to baseline levels) for autonomy, job satisfaction, and professional transition. Research relating to improvements in retention and reduction in turnover was generally poor., Implications for Practice: The overall impact of intervention programmes appears positive, irrespective of the intervention. This may suggest that it is the organisation's focus on new graduate nurses with support from colleagues that is important. .Mentors/preceptors need to be adequately prepared for the role., Implications for Future Research: Future research should build on the strengths and limitations of the current studies. A lack of experimental studies means there is commonly little control over other variables that might influence the outcome. There is a need for larger studies using more objective and reliable measures.