Welcome to GPN’s learning zone. By reading the article in each issue, you can learn all about the key principles of subjects that are vital to your role as a general practice nurse. Once you have read the article, visit the Learning Zone 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 your continued learning and contribute to your revalidation portfolio.
Interstitial lung disease is the collective name given to over 200 different types of parenchymal lung disorders (Demedts et al, 2001). They are different from the more common respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma in that they affect the alveoli, small airways, interstitium and surrounding capillary circulation. Interstitial lung disease causes scarring, which makes it difficult for oxygen to diffuse into the circulating blood, resulting in breathlessness.
Welcome to the fourth issue of J GPN. As we head towards the end of the year, we are delighted to share the latest news in the world of Education for Health.
From the release of our new ‘Simply’ pocket books, to exciting additions to our range of long term condition modules, there’s something for everyone with the New Year approaching, or even a Christmas present or two for a loved one!
As always, we hope that you enjoy this issue of J GPN and our news update.
Diabetes education is key to avoid diabetes-related complications.
Katherine Calder gives her views on how general practice nurses can help patients to better manage their diabetes.
How many people with diabetes do you see in your practice every week? With 3.9 million people now living with diabetes in the UK (Health and Social Care Information Centre [HSCIC], 2014), and this number rising all the time, it’s likely that more and more of your patients have diabetes.
New framework opens the way for GPN education and career pathways.
For many years, access to education and career development for general practice nurses (GPNs) has been variable and ad hoc depending on where individuals worked in the country and the general practice settings in which they worked. In my own experience as a GPN, even though I had access to clinical education, to be able to act out leadership with new-found knowledge and skills and to make changes for patients in my care, meant leaving general practice and looking to primary care in the mainstream NHS to fulfil these career aspirations.
Patients with lower limb ulceration are common in clinical practice, as between 0.6% and 3.6% of adults will develop a leg ulcer in their lifetime (Graham et al, 2003; Posnett and Franks, 2007). This equates to between 70,000 and 190,000 people in the United Kingdom having an active leg ulcer in any one day (Posnett and Franks, 2007).
The most common cause of lower limb ulceration is attributed to venous hypertension, and venous ulceration is reported to affect up to 1% of all adults (Christian, 2013). The management of venous ulceration is costly in terms of treatment costs, nursing time and patient suffering (Atkin, 2015).
This piece was sponsored by an educational grant from Activa Healthcare.
Wheezing is a common problem among preschool children (Bhatt, 2013), and its prevalence is rising in the UK (Kuehni et al, 2001). This has an inevitable impact on healthcare costs. Indeed, it is estimated that caring for this patient group costs around £53 million (Brand et al, 2008). This article informs general practice nurses (GPNs) about the condition which can vary greatly in frequency and acuity, so that appropriate supportive management and follow-up can be offered when a child presents with this condition to the surgery. The patient story sets the scene of a typical wheezing preschool child, and raises the questions about whether to treat or not to treat; the concerns parents have about treatment, acute episodes and the overall management of preschool children with wheeze.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained adult cardiac arrhythmia with over one million people diagnosed with AF in the UK (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2014; Information Services Division [ISD] Scotland, 2015; Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, 2015; Stats Wales, 2015). This is the second article of two that discusses the need to improve the management of AF in primary care. ‘Part 1’ considered case identification and the assessment and management of AF-related stroke risk. ‘Part 2’ addresses optimum heart rate control and how this might be achieved, patient education and utilising audit tools to improve the quality of AF management in primary care.
This article provides an overview of eating disorders and the vital role of general practice nurses (GPNs) and primary care teams in identifying, assessing and referring on. It also looks at the role of GPNs and the primary care team in providing supportive care and physical risk management. People with eating disorders are relatively heavy users of primary care services, however it is more likely that they will initially present with another mental health issue. The GPN team can help to support specialists, patients and patients’ families with the management of eating disorders through the development of a compassionate, therapeutic relationship that understands and empathises with the patient and yet maintains firm boundaries, is vigilant about risk and is firmly pro-recovery. GPN teams can be ‘critical friends’ to someone who they may know well, gently encouraging healthy behaviours and being alert to potential warning signs in patients and/or concerns raised by parents/significant others.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, affecting 40,000 people (Patnick and Atkin, 2011). It is likely therefore that general practice nurses (GPNs) will encounter patients at risk of, or with the disease during everyday practice. This article gives GPNs a brief understanding of colorectal cancer, including identifying patients who may be at risk of developing the disease and who may benefit from screening and health promotion. GPNs can play an active role in managing patients with colorectal cancer, providing clinical interventions, while also offering advice and support.
