Pneumonia is an invasive opportunistic infection which can affect any age group. The very young, the very old and those with chronic disease are most vulnerable and to protect these groups there are two types of pneumonia vaccine which are specific for these groups, although there is some overlap. To make learning more enjoyable, here, Kirsty Armstrong, has developed this wordsearch as part of a teaching programme about vaccines and immunisation. As an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP) in out of hours (OOH) and lecturer in primary and urgent care, finding new ways of making immunisation schedules memorable is always a challenge.
Here, Jane Nicholls, talks about her day-to-day work as a general practice nurse (GPN)
Welcome to this latest issue of GPN. We are delighted to share the latest news in the world of Education for Health, and present opportunities for you to get involved with us as a student or partner. We have dedicated this issue to two key guideline updates and news about our new MSc offering and, as always, we hope that you enjoy this issue of the journal and our news update.
In each issue of the Journal of General Practice Nursing, we investigate a topic currently affecting our readers. Here, we ask what do the new primary care networks mean for GP?
In July, the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) announced an exciting new leadership programme for clinicians in England.
Imagine a network, an online community, made by nurses, for nurses. That is exactly what is on offer with the Digital Nurse Network, which aims to create an inclusive space where nurses, healthcare assistants, midwives and members of the wider nursing team can come together and obtain trusted information on NHS England’s national programmes and digital initiatives. We want the network to be owned and driven by the people that make up its membership, guided by the two clinical nurse advisors — Helen and Ann.
An inspiring new campaign — We Are Undefeatable — has just been launched to support the one in four (15 million) people in England who live with one or more long-term health conditions (Department of Health [DH], 2012).
In 2017, UK expenditure on health care reached £197.2 billion pounds (Office for National Statistics [ONS], 2018). Many publicly recognised health challenges have been associated with estimated costs, for example, direct cost of diabetes treatment are £9.8 billion, while dementia care consumes £4.3 billion, and healthcare associated infections £1 billion annually (National Health Service, 2012; Alzheimer’s Society, 2014; National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2017).
Exudate is produced as part of the inflammatory phase of wound healing and assists the healing process by providing essential nutrients to the wound, promoting moist wound healing and naturally debriding the wound bed. However, exudate can also be detrimental to the healing process and managing excessive exudate in clinical practice is often challenging. The key to managing exudate is accurate assessment and identifying the underlying cause of excessive production. Accurate diagnosis and assessment will assist general practice nurses (GPNs) in selecting appropriate treatment options and strategies that can help in managing exudate efficiently. This article discusses what exudate is and its function in wound healing. It also explores the causes of excessive exudate production and what GPNs can do to manage high volumes to prevent skin damage and improve patient quality of life.
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