Raring to go? A cross-sectional survey of student paramedics on how well they perceive their UK pre-registration course to be preparing them to manage suspected seizures.

Background: Paramedics convey a high proportion of seizure patients with no clinical need to emergency departments (EDs). In a landmark study, only 27% of UK paramedics reported being "Very…"/ "Extremely confident" making seizure conveyance decisions. Improved pre-registration education on seizures for paramedics is proposed.

The use of control - the actions of informal carers on those at risk from falling at home. A qualitative study.

To explore the experiences of informal carers who provide care for frail, older adults who are at risk from falling in their own home. Frail, older adults who fall present a significant challenge for their careers and the health and social care services that support them. Falls can often mean long stays in acute hospital facilities or admission to care homes.

A mirror image: experiences of informal carers caring for frail, older persons at risk from falling.

Falls can lead to social isolation, anxiety and depression for those who fall, although little is known about how informal carers manage those at risk from falling at home. This study aimed to explore the experiences of informal carers who care for frail, older people at risk from falling at home. A qualitative study using thematic analysis was conducted for this purpose.

Prediction of Balance Perturbations and Falls on Stairs in Older People Using a Biomechanical Profiling Approach: A 12-Month Longitudinal Study.

Background: Stair falls are a major health problem for older people, but presently, there are no specific screening tools for stair fall prediction. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether stair fallers could be differentiated from nonfallers by biomechanical risk factors or physical/psychological parameters and to establish the biomechanical stepping profile posing the greatest risk for a stair fall.

Methods: Eighty-seven older adults (age: 72.

Stair negotiation behaviour of older individuals: Do step dimensions matter?

Stair falls are a major health problem for older people. Most studies on identification of stair fall risk factors are limited to staircases set in given step dimensions. However, it remains unknown whether the conclusions drawn would still apply if the dimensions had been changed to represent more challenging or easier step dimensions encountered in domestic and public buildings.

Optimal lighting levels for stair safety: Influence of lightbulb type and brightness on confidence, dynamic balance and stepping characteristics.

Introduction: Poor lighting has been associated with stair falls in young and older adults. However, current guidelines for illuminating stairs seem arbitrary, differ widely between sources, and are often difficult to interpret.

Aims: Here we examined the influence of real-world bulb illumination properties on stair descent safety in young and older adults, with a view to generating preliminary evidence for appropriate lightbulb use/stair illumination.

A novel multivariate approach for biomechanical profiling of stair negotiation.

Stair falls, especially during stair descent, are a major problem for older people. Stair fall risk has typically been assessed by quantifying mean differences between subject groups (e.g.

Introducing community integrated nursing teams: How one Clinical Commissioning Group applied an evidence-based approach.

The present day collection of financial and demographic challenges confronted by health and social care mean that integrated services are undoubtedly essential to sustain adequate care. However, the impact of integrated care upon healthcare staff and patients as well as new ways of working will need to be demonstrated, with collaboration and engagement throughout any transition. This paper provides an overview of the evidence relating to the delivery of effective, integrated out-of-hospital care, with a discussion of the literature.

Measuring carer burden in informal carers of patients with long-term conditions.

Introduction: The aim of this literature review is to identify the most common tools used to measure burden in carers of people with Parkinson's disease (PD), heart failure (HF), multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Method: Databases such as Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Academic Search Complete were searched. Studies in which carer burden was measured were included.

Can NHS politics, power and conflict ever be a good thing for nurses?

This article explores how organisational politics, power and conflict have a positive role to play for nurses in NHS organisational change and improvement, rather than always leading to disagreement and dispute.

Caring for those who die at home: the use and validation of 'Care Of the Dying Evaluation' (CODE) with bereaved relatives.

Background: As well as facilitating patients' wish to die at home, evaluating quality of care in this setting is essential. Postbereavement surveys with family members represent one assessment method. 'Care Of the Dying Evaluation' (CODE) is a 40-item self-completion postbereavement questionnaire, based on the key components of best practice for care of the dying.

Quality of end-of-life care for those who die at home: views and experiences of bereaved relatives and carers.

Little is known about the quality of the end-of-life care patients receive at home. This paper reports findings from a study that explored bereaved relatives' and carers' experiences of end-of-life care at home using the Care of the Dying Evaluation (CODE) questionnaire. Narrative data from questionnaires completed by 72 carers of patients who had died at home in the North West of England underwent qualitative analysis.

Effects of a 12-week community exercise programme on older people.

Aim: To measure the effectiveness of a 12-week exercise intervention in reducing the health risks associated with physical decline in people aged 60 and older.

Method: An intervention group took part in a 12-week exercise programme. The intervention and comparison groups undertook the Senior Fitness Test at baseline, 12 weeks, six months and 12 months.

Measuring the patient experience.

Aim: This paper examines the complex issues of measuring the patient experience and evaluating the quality of health care. It discusses the use of surveys, patient stories and narrative methods of data collection in an attempt to define quality and how it should be measured.

Background: A recent Department of Health (DH) document insists that patients will be at the heart of decision making in the NHS by having greater control in informing strategic commissioning decisions (DH 2010c).