Resources

Covid-19 was a healthcare emergency that affected everyone in the UK to varying degrees. Even leaving out the tragic number of deaths and long-term effects of the infection itself, the restrictions and isolation measures led to huge changes, some of which have continued to echo throughout our lives. Many of us have yet to resume a full social life through anxiety or losing touch with friends, and businesses — particularly those in the hospitality sector — have yet to fully recover, and many workplaces have yet to welcome workers back.

Dermatological conditions are notoriously difficult to spell! Psoriasis with its silent ‘P’ and eczema without an ‘X’. But how about hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)? Hard to spell, hard to pronounce but, more importantly, really hard to be a patient with the condition.

The Asthma+Lung UK helpline takes more than 1,000 calls a month from people who are struggling with their asthma and need advice and support to manage their symptoms. Asthma is a common lung condition affecting 5.4 million people in the UK, and is more prevalent among women than men (https://ukdataservice.ac.uk). The charity’s recent analysis finds that women are, shockingly, almost twice as likely to die from an asthma attack than men (Asthma+Lung UK, 2022).

#AskAboutAsthma is an annual awareness campaign that takes place in September. Now in its sixth year, the campaign is about making simple changes to children and young people’s care that will make a big difference to how they experience their asthma. Primary care clinicians are critical to making these changes, with general practice nurses (GPNs) playing a vital role.

The National Paediatric Respiratory and Allergy Nurses Group (NPRANG) was formed 27 years ago as an asthma group for nurse specialists, with the first meeting taking place at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool. The group met annually before becoming part of the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) Respiratory Group when they had independent learning groups. However, when the learning groups within the RCN merged, NPRANG became an independent group with members from all fields of respiratory and allergy medicine.

Early prostate cancer does not usually have any symptoms. So, when discussing with men the pros and cons of having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, it is important to consider the risk factors.

Many healthcare professionals recommend absorbent pads for men with urinary incontinence. These can be seen as easy to use and convenient (Chartier-Kastler et al, 2011), but potential odour and skin irritation are a significant concern (Williams and Moran, 2006; Gray, 2007). They can also impact dignity and quality of life (Williams and Moran, 2006). To provide a high level of holistic care, patients should be made aware of all suitable management options appropriate for them to be empowered to manage their bladder accordingly.

As part of a urinary collecting system, Conveen^® Optima sheaths meet the majority of users’ need for security, ease of use, comfort and discretion (Data on file). They are designed with features like the anti-kink bellow to ensure maximum security against leakage. This article looks at how healthcare professionals can support patients in finding an incontinence solution that is both effective and compatible with individual patient needs.

Heart Failure (HF) already affects a million people in the UK. With 200,000 new cases annually, it is the fastest rising cardiovascular disease in the country (British Heart Foundation, 2022). And yet, the public and politicians are barely aware of this condition and the huge impact it has on people’s lives. At Pumping Marvellous, the UK’s only dedicated patient-led heart failure charity, we know too well what can happen when people are blindsided by HF, and how poorly understood it is. We also know how much can be achieved when people are educated and supported to manage their care.

Here, Debbie Duncan, lecturer, Queen’s University Belfast, provides an overview on monkeypox, a rare disease caused by monkeypox virus which has recently led to news headlines with the current outbreak.