Journal of advanced nursing
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Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has successfully made the transition from a research tool for the investigation of pain, to a wider clinical utility as method of pain control. Reliable and sophisticated PCA systems have been commercially available for some time. ⋯ The choice of opioid, the settings chosen for demand dose and the lockout interval will greatly influence the effectiveness of this method of analgesia. Psychological variables are also important in predicting the efficacy of PCA.
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Urinary incontinence is a common problem experienced by patients in hospital. As part of a series of studies, a retrospective survey was carried out of 229 nursing and medical records of patients identified as incontinent of urine by the nurses-in-charge, in 14 acute medical wards and 26 health care of the elderly wards. The aims of the survey were to investigate the extent to which urinary incontinence had been identified as a problem, and to examine the nature of its assessment and management. ⋯ The causes of incontinence were rarely recorded and in approximately half of the nursing and medical records examined there was a complete absence of any information related to a management plan. Where recorded, interventions reflected predominantly palliative measures such as routine toileting regimens and the use of continence aids. The implications of these findings are discussed.