Resources

Endometriosis has a profound effect on quality of life of around one in ten women in the UK, mostly due to the pain and inflammation it causes. A diagnosis may not be immediate as the condition can mimic other problems, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). By the time women have had a diagnosis, they are often desperate to try any treatment offered, frequently by non-qualified healthcare professionals. This article looks at evidence for and against certain diets and supplements offered for treating endometriosis and concludes that those that may work are ones that possibly help to reduce inflammation. More research is needed on how to help women with this condition, but the author warns that it probably will not be with certain supplements or diets that exclude certain foods, but rather with a holistic whole diet and lifestyle approach.

General practice nursing is unique in both its skill set and employment. The knowledge and skills required to be a GPN are not taught in pre-registration nursing courses, nor are they evident in other areas of nursing. GPNs perform varied and important roles with increasing responsibility. However, training for this role can be inconsistent, as individual GPNs negotiate it at practice level. This inconsistency has been highlighted in several reports. To address this, the Cheshire and Merseyside Training Hub has developed a one-year preceptorship course for new GPNs. The training is structured, uniform, and accredited by a university. The Hub also provides support from experienced GPNs. While the course has been successful, it has not been without challenges. Future efforts should focus on navigating these challenges and reconsidering the employment framework for GPNs to ensure consistent education.

It is exciting to see a growing editorial board for our journal, and we are fortunate to have some excellent clinicians with wide and varied experience to help inform our content and direction as we move into 2025. The December issue reflects this with a range of articles
including advanced clinical decisionmaking, patient safety, and clinical articles on the rare but important disease bullous pemphigoid, gout and dietary changes, asthma, and managing urinary tract infections (UTIs) in men.

We’ve all been there. That ‘leave it to me’ moment when frustration gets the better of us and we decide that we’d rather finish a task ourselves than let someone else ‘help’.

We might be trying to teach a patient to self-catheterise or educating them on how to monitor their blood glucose levels, but sometimes, whether it’s through tiredness, others’ lack of ability, or simply not having the time, it can seem easier to finish the job yourself than to watch someone else struggle.

Asthma is the most common longterm condition in children and young people (CYP),  affecting one in 11 five to 18 year olds (Asthma + Lung UK, 2024a). That is around three in every classroom. Most cases are mild to moderate and, in most children, a few  simple interventions can vastly reduce asthma symptoms and risk of attack (Bush and  Fleming, 2015; British Thoracic Society/Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines network  [BTS/SIGN], 2019; Levy, 2020; National Institute for Health and Care Excellence  NICE], 2021). The awareness campaign, #AskAboutAsthma, was established to encourage  everyone seeing CYP with asthma to have these interventions front and centre of their minds.

Compression bandaging can present a challenge to healthcare professionals. Some clinicians may not have the necessary skills and training to safely and competently apply it, while others may be using it but not in accordance with the evidence base. As clinicians, it is
our responsibility to make sure that our knowledge and skills are up to date so that we can deliver evidence-based care to patients and do no harm (Abu-Baker et al, 2021). The NHS Long Term Plan emphasised the importance of placing the patient at the heart of their care with their experiences, needs and preferences considered when developing a care plan
with them (NHS England, 2019).

Sjögren’s syndrome. Never heard of it? No, neither had I. In fact, a nurse I spoke to only a few weeks ago hadn’t either.

Sjögren’s syndrome (hereafter known as Sjögren’s) is a chronic autoimmune disorder of unknown origin (Carsons and Patel, 2023), which attacks the secretory glands that produce fluid for the eyes, mouth, skin, gastrointestinal and genital tract resulting in decreased 
fluid production (Lackner et al, 2017). Essentially however, the condition has the potential to affect virtually any organ system leading to extreme clinical symptoms (Negrini et al, 2022), the impact of which can be severely debilitating.

In the final part of our Monitoring matters series, Callum Metcalfe-O’Shea, advanced nurse practitioner and UK professional lead for long-term conditions with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), discusses lipid management. Again, the term long-term conditions covers type 2 diabetes, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), autoimmune rheumatic diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases  (Crohn’s/colitis). Lipid management is ever evolving with new and emerging treatments available, and many both positive and difficult conversations often occur between general practice nurses (GPNs) and patients around this clinical issue. This article defines lipid management in the context of long-term conditions, highlighting assessment tools alongside treatments to help GPNs identify the
evidence needed to have discussions with patients around lipid management. Treatment options will be considered, but application to local formulary and policy is required.

Although most healthcare professionals agree that medication is the only real treatment for gout, addressing diet can help to prevent its development and possibly help ease symptoms, especially when it comes to weight issues and avoidance of alcohol. Observational data shows some dietary treatment to be effective, in particular healthy diets such as DASH and the Mediterranean diet. Gout usually presents with other comorbidities which benefit from a healthy diet. The author recommends that all gout patients should have a dietary assessment and then guidance on how diet can be improved.

Asthma is one of the most prevalent lung conditions in the UK. Around eight in 100 people are diagnosed with it (Asthma + Lung UK, 2024). However, according to the British Thoracic Society (BTS, 2024), asthma affects around 12% of the UK population, with 160,000 people being newly diagnosed each year. This article focuses on the importance of finding the right inhaler to meet patient needs and lifestyle, while exploring the concepts of shared decision-making within respiratory reviews.