Journal of clinical nursing
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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.
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In the past two decades, significant medical advances have resulted in remarkable success and survival rates for organ recipients. However, the rates of donation have not kept pace with the demand, resulting in a critical shortage of available healthy organs. It has been suggested that the attitudes of medical personnel towards organ retrieval is a key success factor in improving organ donation. Yet there is evidence that those closest to the process of procurement are the most negative. ⋯ The concerns of these vital members of the organ procurement team should be heeded and actions taken to reduce their distress and improve their attitudes towards donation.
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Caring is a core characteristic of nursing. Nurses' caring behaviour has been explored in several studies. When caring for trauma patients, the most important caring behaviour must be the procedures associated with lifesaving. However, it is important not to forget the patient's psychological needs. ⋯ The importance of meeting patients' psychological needs and nurses' affective caring behaviour should be emphasized in trauma care, trauma courses and nursing education. It is necessary to measure the caring behaviour of trauma nurses.