Nursing times
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If adherence with therapy is to be achieved, when selecting a suitable device it is important to take into account individuals' ability to use inhalers as well as their attitude towards their disease, therapy and the acceptability of the selected device. Adherence and inhaler technique should be assessed at every consultation.
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Social enterprises are organisations set up to deliver public benefit rather than private profit, and are often owned by their staff. Their social and environmental focus makes them ideal for providing flexible and responsive health and social care. This article explains how social enterprises differ from other types of businesses and from public bodies. It explains the policy context and benefits of setting them up and gives examples of social enterpris in practice.
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Effective communication is the cornerstone of good healthcare. Poor communication can have serious consequences for patients and damage the nurse-patient relationship. This article explores how nurses can use communication tools with surgical patients to help relieve anxiety.
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This article examines the literature on nurse to patient ratios to establish the impact on both patients and staff of understaffing on hospital wards. It discusses theories on ideal staff to patient ratios and the resource implications of these, and recommends a number of dynamic and innovative ways to allocate staff.