British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing)
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In the UK, Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity and there are about 2.5 million Muslims living in the UK. Fasting is obligatory for all healthy adult Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. ⋯ Through dialogue between health professionals and patients, it is usually possible to facilitate at least some safe fasting for those who wish to observe this annual ritual. In this article some key pointers will be given for health professionals to consider with the aim of improving the quality of care of Muslim patients with diabetes during Ramadan.
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This study aimed to explore the role of the district nurse in terminal care in order to understand and clarify the work that district nurses undertake in this area. District nurses view themselves as having a central and valued role in terminal care, yet studies have highlighted concerns that they may not have the necessary skills to provide effective terminal care. In order to target the educational and developmental needs of district nurses the role of the district nurse in terminal care was explored using a qualitative approach. ⋯ The focus of care was determined by those needs identified through the relationship. Care needs identified within the study were complex and difficult to distinguish but fell within four themes: (1) emotional; (2) social; (3) physical; (4) informational. The importance of the relationship between the district nurse, the terminally ill client and the carer has not been clearly identified before and this study points towards the importance of formal structures to be put in place within palliative care and the provision of district nurse training to allow the opportunity and skills for this relationship to be fostered and developed.
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Review Case Reports
The concept of hope in nursing 2: hope and mental health nursing.
This article is the second in a series of six that explores the nature of hope, reviews the existing theoretical and empirical work in several discrete areas of nursing, and provides case studies to illustrate the role that hope plays in clinical situations. In this article we focus on hope within the formal area of psychiatric/mental health nursing. The article points out that there is a limited empirical literature covering several aspects and issues of hope, hopelessness and hope inspiration within the domain of psychiatry. ⋯ As a result of these investigations, a range of interventions has been identified for inspiring hope in different client groups with mental health problems, and a summary of these is given. Importantly, however, the basic social process of hope inspiration for each of these client groups is fundamentally the same, in that the process remains subtle, unobtrusive and associated with the therapy/relationship. We conclude by indicating key areas/questions for future research, and raise key questions regarding future policy/education issues.