Nursing management (Harrow, London, England : 1994)
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Nurs Manag (Harrow) · Nov 2013
Comparative StudyResearchers and nurses debate merits of ward staffing levels.
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A large-scale study ( Forder et al 2012 ) piloting personal health budgets for people with long-term conditions found that they improved patients' quality of life and psychological wellbeing. They were cost-effective and reduced the use of other healthcare services. ⋯ Some clinical commissioning groups are also introducing them for mental health service users and patients with other long-term conditions. This article outlines the benefits and challenges of introducing personal health budgets, and suggests how nursing managers can begin to consider their role in implementing them.
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Hospice nurses were the first to have some of their experiences described as 'compassion fatigue' but this term can now be applied to all nursing staff in clinical environments. Compassion fatigue can suddenly render nurses unable to distinguish between their own emotions and those of their patients. This fatigue can result in staff becoming emotionally drained and therefore unable to provide high quality care. While nurses have to regain public trust in the wake of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust inquiry, this article considers whether or not Schwartz rounds, an initiative introduced from the US, can help maintain the wellbeing of staff and so protect the quality of patient care.