Journal of clinical nursing
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Acute care nurses have an important role in the discharge planning of older people from hospital to home. However, few nurses understand the changing aged care system or the consequences of poor referral on the lives of older people postdischarge. ⋯ The paper outlines practical strategies to support collaboration between ward nurses and community providers and/or multi disciplinary assessment services. It provides a list of key considerations for the development of effective ward/community networks to facilitate the discharge of older people.
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Review
Epidural analgesia for pain relief in labour and childbirth - a review with a systematic approach.
Clinical ambiguity concerning effects of epidural analgesia for pain relief in labour seems to reflect a need for evidence-based knowledge for midwives. ⋯ Midwives and doctors can recommend this form of pain relief. However, information about possible associations with adverse effects in mothers and infants must be provided to expectant couples.
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Falls prevention revisited: a call for a new approach.
Patient falls constitute a major threat to health services' ability to provide care. Previous studies confirm that nurses can identify patients at risk and that a preventative programme can reduce the rate of falls but few studies have been evaluated over time. ⋯ Clinicians are called to conduct more rigorous research into falls prevention but it may be more useful to direct research towards examining nursing work and increasing nurse autonomy in falls prevention.
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Most studies of cancer support groups have focused on the effects of groups established for research purposes, from the exclusive perspective of the group participants. ⋯ Nurses and other health professionals should consider establishing and facilitating community hospital-sponsored support groups for women with breast cancer, which have the potential to meet the women's informational, emotional support, and social support needs.
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Universal precautions are a set of guidelines which aim to protect health care workers from blood-borne infections. Community nurses often have to deliver care to people in less than ideal home conditions, their ability to comply with all universal precautions may therefore be compromised. ⋯ Community nurses work in a unique and unpredictable environment, which may result in nurses being unable to comply with existing universal precautions guidelines. The production of new infection control guidelines for the community by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in June 2003, has addressed some of the difficulties faced by community nurses.