Nursing times
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Good communication skills are essential when interacting with patients, especially when breaking bad news and dealing with difficult situations. National and local recognition of gaps in nurse education in such skills within the Forth Valley Acute Operating Division led to a multidisciplinary project that aimed to improve them. This article describes how this project was piloted.
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Neuropathic pain and its co-morbidities can be detrimental to a patient's quality of life, affecting both physical and psychological well-being. Diagnosing neuropathic pain can be difficult and some patients may have to wait up to 12 months to see a pain specialist. The nursing contribution to recognising and managing neuropathic pain is vital if patient care is to be improved. It is therefore necessary for nurses to understand the assessment, diagnosis and management of neuropathic pain.