Resources

Prostate Cancer UK believes that general practice nurses (GPNs) are ideally placed to recognise men at higher risk of prostate cancer. GPNs can help ensure that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing is delivered to best effect and offer men the opportunity to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the test.

You may ask why, at the height of a resurging COVID-19 pandemic with nursing staff under inestimable pressure, would the British Society for Heart Failure Nurse Forum launch a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse (HFSN) Competency Framework? Well, in the words of Wendy Preston, head of nursing practice, Royal College of Nursing: ‘Despite the adversity, the pandemic gives us a rare insight and offers the opportunity to build back better provision for the future. This heart failure nurse competency framework is a tool which should be used by everybody as it will set the standard for life after CoViD-19’.’

Being raised by my grandparents who were both profoundly deaf meant learning to sign from around three years of age in order to communicate. As I grew up, I realised how important it was to raise awareness in relation to deafness — the potential barriers deaf people can face, and the positive aspects of being able to communicate effectively with people with hearing loss.

Here, Jaqui Walker, chats about the things you can do to support your team and boost morale during the Covid crisis.

Prolonged or continuous exposure to moisture can disrupt the skin’s barrier properties and is known as moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) (Young, 2017). It can cause pain and discomfort to patients and significantly reduce their quality of life (Young, 2017). There are four distinct conditions that fall under the umbrella of MASD: incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD), periwound and peristomal moistureassociated dermatitis and intertriginous dermatitis (Parnham et al, 2020).

Migraine is a common debilitating headache condition that affects the quality of life of those affected. Migraine costs the NHS £150 million annually, with GP visits and prescriptions accounting for most of these costs. With access to neurologists and headache specialists limited in the UK, migraine is a condition GPs and general practice nurses (GPNs) are faced with on a daily basis. Therefore, it is vital that GPNs have good knowledge of migraines. They should be able to distinguish between common primary headaches, such as tension-type headaches (TTH), and migraines to avoid misdiagnosis and inform appropriate treatment, as well as to understand when acute or preventative treatments are required. As GPNs are limited in treatments they can provide for migraine, it is important that they recognise when to refer patients to a neurologist. This article explores how nurses within the general practice can effectively manage migraine patients to improve patient quality of life and alleviate pressures on an overstretched healthcare system.

Deprescribing and treatment alternatives in type 2 diabetes care can prove difficult in current practice due to increased patient demand and complexity. Both independent nurse prescribers and non-prescribers are often at the forefront in deciding treatment for patients with diabetes, and while guidance is available on how to initiate therapy, there is little on how and when to consider alternatives or even deprescribing. This article provides practice points and questions that general practice nurses (GPNs) can consider in the consultation process. Clinical judgement should be used throughout the process and individualised care is crucial to reducing, stopping or changing medication successfully for patients with diabetes. Through utilising the evidence, GPNs can initiate appropriate changes to patient treatment plans to optimise and promote standards of care.

Keeping clear and accurate patient records is key to safe and effective practice (Nursing and Midwifery Council [NMC], 2018). In wound management, systematic and timely wound assessment can lead to correct diagnosis, the implementation of clinically effective treatments and subsequent improvement in patient and wound-related outcomes (Atkin and Critchley, 2017). Updating records at every subsequent reassessment can ensure continuity of care between healthcare professionals. This article examines the importance, requirements and barriers to documentation in wound care, how ongoing comprehensive holistic assessment contributes to keeping records up to date and relevant, and looks at the increased use of digital photography in a virtual setting.

None of the 13 million of us in the UK who watched the final of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ 2020 will need convincing of the joy of dance and dancing with others — nor of the endurance, strength, flexibility and balance required. But, have you ever considered how dance can be used therapeutically? This article presents evidence and practice about the use of dance in chronic disease management, in particular, its role in alleviating breathlessness. One of the main causes of breathlessness is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an effective treatment for COPD, including tailored exercise and education, but it is not available or suitable for everyone. There is potential for dance to be offered as a therapeutic intervention for people with COPD and other chronic respiratory diseases in several ways: by incorporation into existing programmes to increase the variety of exercise, post-PR as maintenance therapy, as an alternative for those who choose not to attend PR, and for those who are not offered PR.

In a busy general practice setting, some women’s health issues are perceived by the patients to have been dismissed with a prescription for Prozac, or just played down and the woman told that there is nothing wrong. Wanting women’s health issues to be addressed fully and respectfully is why the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology developed its publication and campaign, ‘Better for Women’, with the aim of steering the UK away from providing a disease intervention service towards a preventative health service, which addresses the determinants of health throughout the woman’s life course. Without doubt, some women’s health issues can be helped with medication; but this should not be the first approach. Further, medication is more likely to work well if women’s health and lifestyle issues are also addressed. Top diet and lifestyle issues include excess weight, lack of physical activity, and stress; and many of these are intertwined. Addressing these issues when dealing with the three top women’s health conditions: menopause, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), is essential — to move straight into the medication option and ignoring lifestyle changes often means the problem may never truly be solved long term.