A dementia communication training intervention based on the VERA framework for pre-registration nurses: Part I developing and testing an implementation strategy.

Background: People living with dementia experience progressive difficulty in expressing physical and emotional needs. Health care staff including student nurses require training to develop compensatory communication strategies. However, there is no standardised foundation level dementia communication training within pre-registration curricula.

A feasibility study of dementia communication training based on the VERA framework for pre-registration nurses: Part II impact on student experience.

Background: People living with dementia have complex communication needs, especially during acute hospital admissions. The VERA framework (validation, emotion, reassurance, activity) was designed to promote person centred communication between student nurses and people living with dementia, but there is limited evaluation of its impact.

Aim: To measure the impact of dementia communication training (based on VERA) plus older adult unit (OAU) placement on students' ability to recognise opportunities for person centred (PC) communication compared to OAU placement alone.

Hand decontamination in clinical practice: a review of the evidence.

Hand decontamination is known to significantly reduce the spread of hospital-acquired infections but, despite a wealth of guidelines and education campaigns, evidence suggests that many healthcare workers are non-compliant with hand decontamination. The behaviours that prevent hand decontamination are complex. Studies look at attitudes towards dirt, disgust, self-protective hand washing and familiarity with patients.

Implementing peer learning to prepare students for OSCEs.

First-year nursing students undertaking a first-year clinical skills module were given an opportunity to take part in a voluntary peer learning scheme, where they would learn from more senior students. It was envisaged this would help the students prepare for the module's summative assessment-an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), which students can find stressful. The first-year students found peer learning helped them improve clinical skills, reduced anxiety and increased their self-confidence, and they appreciated the non-threatening learning environment and constructive feedback.

Medicines management.

All newly registered graduate nurses are required to have the appropriate knowledge and understanding to perform the skills required for patient care, specifically the competencies identified in the Nursing and Midwifery Council's essential skills clusters. This article focuses on the fifth essential skills cluster – medicines management. Nursing students should work to attain the knowledge and skills required for effective medicines management throughout their pre-registration education.

Nutrition and fluid management.

Management of fluid intake and nutrition is an essential component of nursing care and should be practised skilfully by all nurses and nursing students. This requirement forms the basis of the fourth essential skills cluster, nutrition and fluid management. The essential skills clusters stipulate key skills and behaviours to be demonstrated to meet the standards for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Infection prevention and control.

All newly registered graduate nurses are required to have the appropriate knowledge and understanding to perform the skills required for patient care, specifically the competencies identified in the Nursing and Midwifery Council's essential skills clusters. This article focuses on the third essential skills cluster - infection prevention and control. It provides an overview and discussion of the key skills and behaviours that must be demonstrated to meet the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Organisational aspects of care.

Organisational aspects of care, the second essential skills cluster, identifies the need for registered nurses to systematically assess, plan and provide holistic patient care in accordance with individual needs. Safeguarding, supporting and protecting adults and children in vulnerable situations; leading, co-ordinating and managing care; functioning as an effective and confident member of the multidisciplinary team; and managing risk while maintaining a safe environment for patients and colleagues, are vital aspects of this cluster. This article discusses the roles and responsibilities of the newly registered graduate nurse.

Care, compassion and communication.

Care, compassion and effective communication are essential elements of nursing, which must be demonstrated by all nurses and nursing students. These requirements form the basis of the first essential skills cluster, which stipulates key skills and behaviours that must be demonstrated to meet the standards for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This article discusses the core aspects of compassionate care and effective communication and, in doing so, uses examples to demonstrate their use within nursing.

Strengthening the role of the ward manager: a review of the literature.

Background: The role of the ward manager is integral to service delivery, however, they may lack the necessary authority and autonomy to achieve the organisation and delivery of patient care.

Aim: To identify initiatives that have strengthened the ward manager role.

Methods: A review of published literature was undertaken.

Improving nutrition and hydration in hospital: the nurse's responsibility.

Ensuring that the nutrition and hydration needs of patients in hospital are met is part of the nurse's role. Adequate nutrition and hydration is vital for good health, from both a physical and psychological perspective, and should be considered a priority by nurses. Actions required by nurses may include addressing potential barriers and obstacles that may prevent patients receiving adequate food and drink.

The development and evaluation of a computer-based resource to assist pre-registration nursing students with their preparation for objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs).

This paper presents a narrative discussion of an innovative, computer-based resource developed, implemented and evaluated by a small project team at a school of nursing and midwifery in London. The interactive resource was designed to assist first and second year pre-registration nursing students with both their clinical skills revision and formative preparation for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations and involved a small range of clinical skills. These included: skin assessment; hand hygiene; reading a drug prescription chart, weighing a baby and assessment of an intravenous cannulae site.

Developing and examining an Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations are commonly used within pre-registration and post-qualification nurse education to test clinical competence. Station development and refinement of the pass mark is essential to the examination process. In this paper the process of blue-printing and standardisation are described as one method of agreeing examination content and subsequent pass mark.

Achieving confidence and competence for lecturers in a practice context.

This paper demonstrates how the maintenance of competence and confidence was achieved and maintained through the authors' involvement, as lecturers, in hands-on care in two clinical settings: acute medicine and the community. The latter took place in the link area for one of the authors (JB). The process is explored by taking elements of a concept analysis, () namely antecedents, attributes and consequences of the lecturer in clinical practice.

The experience of undertaking faculty practice.

The role of the nurse teacher in practice has been subject to scrutiny by nurse teachers and professional reviews (Clifford 1993, 1996, Crotty 1993, UKCC 1999, Aston et al. 2000). Two models that emerge from the literature to participate in practice are the liaison lecturer or the lecturer practitioner role.

Safe use of rectal suppositories and enemas with adult patients.

Medications that are given via the rectal route are prescribed for a variety of reasons and have either a local or systemic effect. The administration of suppositories and enemas is an intimate procedure which has the potential to cause embarrassment and discomfort for the patient. This article outlines the reasons for the use of rectal medications and recommends a procedure to be followed when giving them.

Recommended procedure for bedmaking in hospital.

Bedmaking is a key nursing skill that is essential for the promotion of patient comfort, hygiene and wellbeing. Bedmaking requires technical and practical skills and consideration should be given to issues of safety, moving and handling and infection control practices. In this article the recommended procedures for making an unoccupied bed and an occupied bed are described in detail with reference to supportive literature where relevant.

Clinical skills: bed bathing and personal hygiene needs of patients.

The maintenance of personal hygiene is essential for a patient's health and well-being. Nurses play a key role in ensuring that the individual hygiene needs of patients are met. In this article the process of bed-bathing a patient is described.