Nursing management (Harrow, London, England : 1994)
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Developing pressure ulcers is a painful and distressing event for patients, and one that can be prevented. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence pressure ulcer guideline has recently been updated to cover the prevention and management of this condition. This article focuses on the recommendations that are relevant to nurses, covering areas such as risk assessment, skin assessment, repositioning, pressure-redistributing devices, dressings, patient and carer information, and training and education. It also identifies what senior nurses and nurse managers must do to ensure their staff can prevent and manage pressure ulcers effectively.
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Nurs Manag (Harrow) · Feb 2014
Embedding NHS values: a framework and learning tool to support practice.
Multiple healthcare failings point to an NHS culture where care and compassion are no longer guaranteed. The NHS Constitution and values set out in it should have supported and empowered healthcare professionals to improve their working culture, however these have not been widely adopted. This article describes a framework for all healthcare staff that hinges on principles of 'observing practice, praising good practice, challenging poor practice, and escalating if standards are compromised' (OPCE), and which encourages everyone to take responsibility for poor care.
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Person-centred, safe and effective care is at the heart of the fundamentals of caring. However, there are many challenges to achieving this reliably and consistently. This article describes one nursing team's experience of implementing 'care and comfort' rounds, which has led to proactive rather than reactive nursing care delivery. The number of patient falls and the use of call buzzers have reduced, patient experience has been enhanced, a more controlled environment is provided for patients, and staff satisfaction in care delivery has improved.