Long-term wounds in the UK are increasing at the rate of 12% per year. The rise in these numbers is partly due to the older population, who tend to have slower healing processes. The majority of wound care is provided by nurses, not all of whom will have received wound care education. Although patient outcomes demonstrate improvement when healthcare professionals receive postgraduate training, it has also been identified that collaborative care and a coordinated team approach can benefit patient care in preventing a wound becoming long term, as has been demonstrated by the Tower Hamlets project. This article explores these issues and the effects that a ‘never healing’ wound can have on a person.
Nutrition is an important modifiable factor for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Being overweight brings breathing difficulties and being malnourished leads to poorer outcomes. Maintaining a healthy weight and a nutritious diet is a central part of COPD management. This article equips general practice nurses (GPNs) and patients with the tools needed to assess and promote a healthy weight and diet while living with COPD. It explains the reasons for malnutrition and how these can be avoided. Helping people improve their diet as well as the role of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) are explored, and specific issues, such as vitamin D deficiency, are discussed.
The recent rise in measles cases in the UK, Europe and elsewhere in the world, cannot have gone unnoticed by anyone, especially by healthcare professionals.This paper looks at the rise in cases in the UK, Europe and elsewhere in the world, discusses possible reasons for the increase and latterly the role that general practice nurses (GPNs) play in ensuring that their patients, themselves and their colleagues are fully protected from this unpleasant disease, which can lead to serious complications, and even death.The nature of infectious diseases and outbreaks are such that the epidemiological reports are constantly updated, published erratically and often data differs between reports (due to reporting delays or erroneous case reporting). Consequently, this paper relies heavily on online reports of outbreaks and cases.
There is an unmet need for contraception in the UK. Providing women with up-to-date information on contraceptive choices is essential to reduce unplanned pregnancies. There is a wide choice, including short-, medium- and longterm options. No method is 100% effective, with some relying on the user (e.g. pills) and others working largely independently of the user (e.g. subdermal implant). Many methods have side-effects or pose health risks to certain subpopulations of women. General practice nurses (GPNs) should be allowed to make an informed choice while also undertaking a risk assessment of each individual. This article provides an update on current practice regarding contraceptive choice, including emergency contraception, as well as the efficacy, acceptability, methods of delivery, side-effects and health risks of the different methods available.
Here, Ellen Nicholson, course director/lecturer, School of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University, explores what the plan means for general practice nurses (GPNs) and how this key document will affect their role in general practice.
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, trainer or partner. We recently celebrated with a new batch of Education for Health graduates and we look forward to welcoming more in the future — maybe you’ll be among them!
In each issue of the Journal of General Practice Nursing, we investigate a topic currently affecting our readers. Here, Jeanette Richards, specialist nurse (sexual health), Brook Square Surgery, Scarborough looks at why...
Carol Stonham, MBE, explains how general practice nurses can use the NHS Long Term Plan to improve respiratory care
While skin conditions involve significant physical discomfort, their psychological impact can often go unseen
