International journal of nursing studies
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This narrative review assesses the current prevalence of malnutrition, the methods for detection of malnutrition, the factors associated with malnutrition, and the effects of malnutrition in the acute care patients. ⋯ Malnutrition continues to be a significant problem among acute care patients. The Subjective Global Assessment tool has the most diagnostic value for acute care patients. Simple measures, like documenting height and weight on admission, and assessing patient's nutritional intake, weight status, and medications that alter nutritional intake could assist in early detection of malnutrition in the acute care patient.
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Specialist palliative care nurses have considerable expertise in pain management and this expertise can contribute to tension in the boundary between specialist nurses and non-specialist doctors. ⋯ The team meetings are a safe place, a collegial setting for specialist nurses to challenge non-specialist medical practice and to manage the specialist/non-specialist boundary. The findings have implications for further research related to the specialist nurse/non-specialist doctor boundary and for education of specialist nurses and GPs.
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Children continue to experience unrelieved moderate to severe pain post-operatively despite the evidence to guide practice being readily available. Previous studies have relied on self-report measures; there is a need to establish exactly how nurses manage children's pain in practice. ⋯ The sub-optimal pain management practices may be attributable to several factors. The professional culture of nursing and/or ward culture may result in poor pain management practices being perpetuated. Nurses may not have the requisite theoretical knowledge to manage pain effectively. A lack of priority may also be attributed to pain management. These areas need exploring further.