British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
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Twenty-two patients in a Midlands acute hospital Trust supplied recorded narratives of their experience of spiritual distress, their hopes for spiritual integrity, and any means that were proving helpful in moving from distress to integrity. The research subjects included both patients in palliative care and those undergoing various therapies. ⋯ The most frequently expressed spiritual integrities, were the hope to help others, and to use the illness as an opportunity for personal growth and acceptance. Support from hospital staff was seen as most important in facilitating change from distress to integrity.
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Managing pain following a fractured neck of femur is challenging for a number of reasons. This group of patients are typically older people and frail with multiple co-morbidities and are often on numerous medications. ⋯ A femoral nerve block has been shown to be a safe and effective preoperative intervention for managing pain in this patient group while they wait for surgery. This article describes how an acute pain team have developed protocols and training to establish a nurse-led service for providing preoperative femoral nerve blocks to patients with fractured neck of femur.