Journal of nursing management
-
To gain a full understanding of the concept of equity and means of promoting and monitoring a more equitable healthservice. ⋯ There are a number of ways of considering the concept of equity and for any fruitful discussion to occur there needs to be an agreed working definition. Specific topics are discussed where equity is lacking and a plan of action is suggested which is likely to improve equity in the areas identified.
-
Recent changes in UK legislation concerning community care of mentally ill people have initiated comprehensive changes in the delivery of healthcare. The NHS and Community Care Act (Department of Health 1990) added impetus to the run down of residential facilities and the speed of development of community mental health services. A community mental health intensive care team was established in Essex and employed a high ratio of unqualified to qualified staff. At a time of tension within the Health Service around issues such as skill mix and unemployment among qualified nurses, it was perhaps not unreasonable that the introduction of healthcare assistants might be viewed with suspicion, as a way of diluting the workforce with a less expensive alternative. The importance of evaluating new services is self-evident. ⋯ It is self-evident that the clients' expressed satisfaction with the care provided by healthcare assistants argues against the professional ideology of nursing, which proposed that nursing may only be given by those with a statutory qualification. A complementary role for healthcare assistants in the provision of mental health care is proposed.
-
This study set out to investigate general practitioners (GPs) views on a Mental Health Service. It seeks their views on how well the Trust is providing those services and suggestions for change and development of the service. ⋯ The survey was used to inform Trust Management of GPs views and as a basis for meetings with GPs about the service. As a result new services have been developed.
-
Although effective pain treatment is available for both cancer-related pain and acute post-operative pain, many patients suffer unnecessarily. The aim of this study was to evaluate post-operative patients' pain management. A descriptive survey study was conducted in a 460-bed acute hospital in the southwestern part of Sweden. ⋯ However, the higher the pain intensity experienced by the patients the less satisfied they were. The fact that patients do not know what kinds of relief are available may be one reason for the patients expressing satisfaction despite being in pain, another that the patients judge the kindness of the staff rather than their way of treating the pain. The field of pain management is rapidly changing requiring professional knowledge and experience in order to ensure pain management of good quality.