Journal of advanced nursing
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This paper presents the development process for clinical guidelines on the use of pressure-relieving devices (beds, mattresses and overlays), with emphasis on incorporating economic evidence. ⋯ Cost effectiveness assessment was an integral part of the guideline development process. It clarified the shortcomings of some of the clinical effectiveness evidence and helped in formulating pragmatic clinical practice recommendations.
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This paper reports a review examining the concept of sleep and its antithesis of fatigue, and considers the evidence on nurses' ability to cope with the demands of continually changing hours of work, their safety, and the impact any manifestations of sleep disruption may have on the care of their patients. While many aspects of this paper may apply to nursing in general, special consideration is given to nurses in the critical care environment. ⋯ The literature reinforces concerns about the adverse relationship between fatigue and performance in the workplace. Optimal standards for patient care may be difficult to achieve for more mature nurses, who may suffer from sleep deprivation and health problems associated with rotational night work and disrupted physiological rhythms.
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This paper reports a study that investigated the experiences of a group of critical care Jordanian nurses concerning verbal communication with critically ill patients. ⋯ Communication with sedated or unconscious patients in intensive care units should not be viewed as only an interactive process. Rather, it should be perceived as the means to give the information and support that such patients need.
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This paper reports a study evaluating baseline competence levels among Emergency Nurse Practitioners using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination. The study also aimed to document change in competence over time and following an educational intervention. ⋯ The assessment process worked well, and provides a framework for competence assessment that can be compared over time, between practitioners and between departments.
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This paper reports a study to gain a new theoretical understanding of parental grief responses and the process of adaptation to a diagnosis of childhood diabetes. ⋯ A diagnosis of childhood diabetes leads to a psychosocial transition for parents. The concept of transition provides a logical explanation of parents' responses to loss, and allows increased understanding of the grieving and adaptation processes experienced by parents of children diagnosed with a chronic condition such as diabetes. This knowledge should help health care professionals to assist parents in the period of transition.