Nursing times
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Acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is one of the most common medical emergencies and most cases require urgent medical assessment. Half of all cases are due to peptic ulcer and this article focuses on non-variceal bleeding. ⋯ After resuscitation the patient can have an endoscopy procedure. It is important that all nurses are fully aware of the signs, symptoms, and management of acute upper GI bleeding, issues that are all addressed in this article.
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Knowledge about the harmful effects of smoking on the lungs is high among the general population. This damage can occur to both active and passive smokers. ⋯ There is great variation in smokers' susceptibility to the harmful effects of tobacco dependence. The reasons for this are complex and the role of genetic factors requires more research.
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Nursing judgements are complex, often involving the need to process a large number of information cues. Key issues include how accurate they are and how we can improve levels of accuracy. ⋯ Social judgement analysis approaches are one way of overcoming these limitations. This paper argues that as nurses take on more roles requiring accurate judgement, it is time to increase our knowledge of judgement and ways to improve it.