Reports 2004

Victoria-Jane BRIGGS, District Clinical Nurse Therapist, Newcastle District Adolescent Service

Recommendations for my local service and a plan for sharing and disseminating this information will be made, highlighting what was learnt whilst participating in the scholarship.

Susan FRASER, Nurse Therapist, The Nelson Hospital, Kingston

In Queensland Australia, with the development of the Triple A Programme, the Australian Government with the University of Queensland, began implementing a preventative programme for parents as a multi-level, parenting and support strategy aimed to prevent severe behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children by enhancing the knowledge, skills and confidence of parents.   The emphasis is on providing parenting programmes at a universal level to reduce stigma associated with parenting classes and on prevention rather than cure

Karen HILL, Lead Nurse, Practice Development, General Intensive Care Unit Southampton University Hospitals Trust

This Travel Scholarship was driven by the need to explore models of Practice Development within the clinical speciality of critical care.   Through learning and experience alternative healthcare organisational cultures quality improvements in practice development strategies could be made.

Patrick Noel McGREEVY, Lecturer Practitioner, Downshire Hospital, Downpatrick

Prevention of suicide has often been considered the purview of health services generally and mental health services particularly.   Suicide is, however, a societal issue that must become the concern of the entire society.   Promoting the mental health of the population and improving mental health care services should become constituent parts of the overarching suicidal prevention effort.

Lynne PATERSON, Neonatal Nurse Consultant James Cook University Hospital, Middlesborough

Time for Dignity – Are we effectively resourced to meet the health and social care needs of older people in custodial environments?

Emma BRADLEY, Area Healthcare Co-ordinator/Regional Prison Nurse Advisor HM Prison Service

Through field studies of the health and social care needs of older prisoners in England and a comparative study of the jurisdictions of England, Texas and New Zealand, the author has sought to identify the needs of the older prisoner, the way in which this group is cared for and identify areas of good practice for future policy developments.

Perceptions of Bangladeshis about drug use within the community

Shams UDDIN, Mental Health Practitioner Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Services, Leicester

A triangulated methodology was used for this research.   A review of all available literature was carried out to establish if there was a drug problem among the Bangladeshis in the UK.   A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to the Bangladeshi community in Leicester via local Mosques and community resource centres/contact points.   This study also benefited from participant observations

An exploration of Clients’ Perceptions and Views as to what Assisted and Hindered their Engagement with Local Assertive Outreach Services

Melanie Christina McADAM, Researcher, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

The study was undertaken with Service Users from four Assertive Outreach teams within Nottinghamshire Health Care NHS Trust.   Adopting a qualitative approach to explore perceptions of what helped and hindered engagement.   11 semi structured, audio taped, interviews were undertaken.   All interviews were fully transcribed and emerging themes were explored.  Two quantitative measures designed to measure service user and staff perceptions of engagement with Assertive Outreach Services were used.

Comparison of staff development planning models in prison healthcare between the UK and Western Australia

Deborah PARKIN, Prison Health, Department of Health (England)

The aim of this study was to compare the staff development models utilised in Western Australia with that of the UK.   Whilst the two countries have different governance arrangements in the delivery of their healthcare within prisons, there are similarities in the organisational structures and the emphasis on the competency based workforce as the key to success.   The fundamental aspects of both programmes being that the continuing professional development of the workforce should meet the professional needs of the individual together with their individual aspirations, but that these must be integrated with the needs of the service.

‘Crisis’ in the Caribbean

Diana DE, Senior Lecturer Adult Nursing University of Glamorgan

On having already visited and spoken to a number of UK centres regarding the sickle pain management in the UK, I set out to visit the work renowned Sickle Cell Centre, Tropical Medicine Research Unit at the University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, to witness day-case treatment in action.   As I was also investigating how management of sickle cell services were implemented in the neighbouring island, visits to the Istituto de Hematologia and William Soler Hospital, Havana, Cuba, were also arranged.

A comparison of the role of the Clinical Nurse specialist, Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Consultant in the UK, USA and Australia, and the impact upon the nursing services delivered to patients with colorectal disease

Mhairi F SIMPSON, Lead Colorectal Nurse Specialist Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

The study has proven beneficial for benchmarking UK services, roles and educational preparation in comparison with services at one major facility in Minnesota and three main teaching hospitals in Sydney.

How normality in the birthing process is promoted in the Netherlands, visiting Holland

Carole PEMBERTON, Senior Midwife, North Wales NHS Trust

Learning in Nurse Practitioners (LiNP):  Learning in the workplace – a study of Primary Health Care NPs in their first year of postgraduate employment

Debra SHARU, Senior Lecturer, St Martin’s College, Lancaster

All observations and discussions were transcribed and analysed using a Nud*ist (N6) computer research package.   Categories and themes based on Project LiNEA findings were adapted to form a financial theoretical framework.   It is hoped that these outcomes will contribute to the miniscule body of knowledge about Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner learning in the workplace as well as providing evidence to inform reviews of training courses and policies for post qualification learning support.

An investigation into the amount of sleep Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) patients are able to obtain in hospital and how this affects them

Camilla WARD, Nurse Practitioner, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust

An investigation into innovative management of intensive care services

Melanie GAGER, Sister Intensive Care Unit, Royal Berkshire Hospital Sheila HILL, Sister, Intensive Care Unit, Royal Berkshire Hospital

Younger people with dementia facing the future:  An exploration of support and information services for younger people with dementia and their carers and supporters

Vivienne DAVIES-QUARRELL, Admiral Nursing Services, North Wales

This study describes a range of established and developing services visited by the author in the Australian States of Queensland, South Australia and Victoria that provide information and support to people with dementia and their supporters and carers

‘The Tipping Point’ – Developing Nursing’s Influence and Policy and Politics

Theresa FYFFE, Nursing Officer, The Scottish Executive Health Department

Both the USA and the UK were visited between the January and mid-June 2005 and interviews were held with a range of UK and US nursing and policy leaders.   While the study tour focuses on nursing, the lessons learnt are also applicable to midwives and other healthcare professionals

Patients’ experience of pain prior to and following an acute medical admission

Owen BENNETT, Charge Nurse, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham

A number of recommendations are suggested in order to address the problems identified through the research.

A review of current structured education programmes offered to individuals with diabetes in Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne

David CHANEY, Lecturer in Nursing, University of Ulster at Magee

Three Programmes are reviewed, namely The Expert Patient Programme, Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating, and Diabetes Education and Self Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed.   The report provides a review of current literature related to each programme supported by clinical and patient experiences.   This is followed by an analysis of each programme.   Lessons learned and recommendation for practice are highlighted with specific attention given to structured education, disease specific education, collaboration, timing of programmes, follow-up, resources and age.

Culturally Sensitive Healthcare in the UK

Dr June L LEISHMAN, Director of Academic Programmes, The University of Abertay

The purpose of this report is to share the findings of a travel scholarship tour, undertaken by the author, to explore how the USA (no stranger to cultural diversity) and Finland (a country with what might be perceived as similar demographics to Scotland have risen to the challenge of increasingly culturally diverse populations and the impact that this has for nursing and health care education and practice.

An exploration on how distance and blended ‘e’ learning approaches to paediatric oncology nurse education could enable national and/or international education provision to be developed

This report outlines the results of a tour to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore to explore whether distance and blended ‘e’ learning approaches to paediatric oncology nurse education could enable national and/or international educational provision to be developed.

An examination of the impact of supervised injecting rooms in Australia on patients and the wider community

Jillian TIMMINS, Consultant Nurse, Substance Misuse North East Wales NHS Trust

The purpose of this report is to share the findings of a Welsh Assembly Government funded travel scholarship, which was undertaken at the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Sydney, considering the impact on both individual clients and the wider community.   Time was spent with the New South Wales Police Department. The Medically Supervised Injecting Centre, Kirketon Road Treatment Centre, and, the New South Wales Department of Health.

An exploration of contemporary approaches to advanced nursing practice education in history taking and physical assessment.

Dr Helen RUSHFORTH, Senior Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southampton

Informed Consent in Clinical Trials – How informed am I?

Jane LAFFERTY, Asthma Research Sister, Gartnaval General Hospital

The obtaining of informed consent was observed for a complicated clinical trial following which a written patient information sheet and consent form that adheres to good clinical practice was produced.

Does educating patients about self-administration of medication improve knowledge and concordance

Nicola CRUMMACK, Staff Nurse – Stoke Rehabilitation, Mount Vernon Hospital

From reviewing the literature it appears that self-administration of medication in hospitals was first researched in the 1980s and appears to be researched again at present.

A USA/UK exploration of wandering:  best practice in screening, assessment and nursing interventions

Jan DEWING, Consultant Nurse, Milton Keynes PCT and General NHS Trust