The transition from secondary to primary care can be daunting for any healthcare professional due to the extreme changes in the working environment and clinical responsibilities/duties undertaken. Healthcare professionals may fear that their knowledge base is not up-to-date and that they will become ‘deskilled’ within the general practice setting. However, with the correct attitude and determination, a successful and varied career can be forged incorporating advanced skills and enhanced practice within the day-to-day work of a general practice nurse (GPN).
Identifying and managing malnutrition in patients with COPD is vital.
Matthew Hodson and Samantha Blamires explore how nutritional screening and appropriate management of malnutrition can improve outcomes for patients with COPD.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term for a number of lung diseases, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. There are an estimated three million people living with the condition in the UK, however only 900,000 are currently diagnosed (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], 2010). COPD is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, accounting for more than 28,000 deaths, 130,000 emergency admissions and 1.4 million GP consultations every year (NICE, 2010). Weight loss and being underweight are associated with poor prognosis and increased mortality, independent of disease severity (Ezzell et al, 2000), yet malnutrition is largely underrecognised and undertreated.
This piece was sponsored by an educational grant from Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition.
Welcome to GPN’s learning zone feature. By reading the article in each issue, you can learn about key principles of subjects that are vital to your role as a general practice nurse. Having read the article, visit www.journalofpracticenursing.co.uk/learningzone/ (‘Insight’ section) to evaluate your knowledge on this topic by answering the 10 questions in the e-learning unit; all answers can be found in the article. If you answer the questions correctly, you can download your certificate which can be used in your continuing professional development (CPD) portfolio as evidence of continued learning and contribute to your revalidation portfolio.
In each issue of the Journal of General Practice Nursing we investigate a topic currently affecting our readers. Here, Jason Beckford-Ball, looks at the UK’s decision to leave the European Union and asks What will Brexit mean for GPNs?
With so many new inhaled therapies available for treating asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), how does the busy healthcare professional make a prescribing decision which is safe and effective?
There is widespread recognition that respiratory disease has been under prioritised and neglected for many years (All-Party Parliamentary Group [APPG], 2014). Those of us who work in primary care feel this is improving, although we recognise we still have a long way to go. We have welcomed guidance and guidelines that promote good respiratory care, as the patient, not the diagnosis, is key to what we do.
It could just be another public campaign, but it’s not. This one is a bit different. Here’s why.
The launch of a ground-breaking epidemiological study into lung disease in the UK has revealed some stark outcomes. The results of the three-year research project were launched by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) in the ‘Battle for Breath’ report on 27 May, 2016. The project aimed to compile a comprehensive overview of the extent and impact of lung disease across the UK, and is the first time data on this scale has been gathered since 2006.
A review of a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by the general practice nurse (GPN) will usually include measures such as spirometry, smoking cessation advice, and a check of inhaler technique to name just a few. However, it also provides an ideal opportunity to assess the patient’s nutritional status and determine the level of risk this may pose. This article explores the need for nutritional assessment, how to stratify risk, how to plan interventions and, importantly, how to incorporate this vital element of care into everyday interactions with this group of patients.
Migraine is a frequent, disabling and distressing disorder, which needs positive diagnosis and management. Some physicians in primary care still have limited awareness of treating this disorder (Minen et al, 2016). This two-part paper aims to help with this, rather than fully investigate the evidence behind recommendations. The literature abounds with reviews freely available if the reader wishes to explore the evidence in more depth. This first paper gives the reader a grounding in migraine to improve confidence in diagnosing and treating migraine, which in turn will improve patient treatment and outcomes
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