For Homeless People with Serious Mental Illness, Can a State Transitional Shelter Promote Racial Equity in Housing Outcomes?

Objective: To examine the role of race, sex, arrest history, and psychiatric diagnoses in duration of shelter tenure and housing outcomes for patients in transitional shelters.

Methods: The authors performed a three-year retrospective chart review of Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) records for individuals residing in three DMH transitional homeless shelters from 2013 to 2015.

Results: Race was not predictive of length of stay, initial disposition, or housing status at three to five-year follow-up.

Preserving vision and promoting visual health in older people.

Reduction in vision is not inevitable but a manageable consequence of getting older. Some physiological and disease processes associated with ageing may reduce vision and, in some cases, this reduction in vision cannot be treated. Much of it can be prevented, however.

How to care for a patient's eyes in critical care settings.

Rationale and key points Eye care is an important aspect of the nursing management of patients who are critically ill. All patients in acute care settings with absent or compromised eye defence mechanisms are at risk of eye complications and ocular surface disease. This article aims to assist nurses to care for the eyes of patients in critical care settings to enable early detection and routine management of ophthalmic issues, thereby avoiding visual compromise on patient discharge from critical care settings.

How to assess vision.

Rationale and key points An objective assessment of the patient's vision is important to assess variation from 'normal' vision in acute and community settings, to establish a baseline before examination and treatment in the emergency department, and to assess any changes during ophthalmic outpatient appointments. » Vision is one of the essential senses that permits people to make sense of the world. » Visual assessment does not only involve measuring central visual acuity, it also involves assessing the consequences of reduced vision.

How to perform irrigation of the eye.

rationale and key points: This article aims to help nurses to understand the importance of performing irrigation immediately following chemical injury to the eye, and outlines the most effective technique. It is essential that irrigation of the eye is understood and performed correctly. Chemical injury to the eye is an ophthalmic emergency.

A 'symptom-triggered' approach to alcohol withdrawal management.

In acute hospital settings, alcohol withdrawal often causes significant management problems and complicates a wide variety of concurrent conditions, placing a huge burden on the NHS. A significant number of critical incidents around patients who were undergoing detoxification in a general hospital setting led to the need for a project to implement and evaluate an evidence-based approach to the management of alcohol detoxification-a project that included a pre-intervention case note audit, the implementation of an evidence-based symptom-triggered detoxification protocol, and a post-intervention case note audit. This change in practice resulted in an average reduction of almost 60% in length of hospital stay and a 66% reduction in the amount of chlordiazepoxide used in detoxification, as well as highlighting that 10% of the sample group did not display any signs of withdrawal and did not require any medication.

The impact of a glaucoma nurse specialist role on glaucoma waiting lists.

Over the last two decades there has been an increasing demand on health care services. This has led to increased waiting lists and waiting times to access public hospital services. In ophthalmic practice an aging population and technological advances have been major contributors to this situation.

Implications of and treatment options for retinal detachment.

The retina is a complex structure that turns light falling onto it via a chemical reaction into nerve impulses, which then travel to the brain for interpretation into images. If the retina is damaged or moved from its correct location, a person's ability to interpret the world is compromised with all the physical, social and psychological effects this implies. Nurses have a key role in the recognition of signs and symptoms of retinal compromise as well as the care and treatment of patients who undergo therapy for retinal detachment, so that the best possible vision is achieved for each patient.

Cataract: the role of nurses in diagnosis, surgery and aftercare.

Cataract is a condition that affects many older people and causes reduced vision, contributing to a reduced quality of life. The whole cataract 'episode', from recognition to surgery and aftercare is described, together with the role that nurses play in the care of patients with cataract.

Ascorbate for alkali burns to the eye.

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether ascobate drops are useful in the management of alkalis burns to the eyes. Altogether 33 papers were found using the reported search, of which one presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of this best paper are tabulated.

Nurse practitioner practice and deployment: electronic mail Delphi study.

Background: The nature of modern government and needs of policy-makers demand accurate information that is delivered quickly. This study was part of a larger project for the Department of Health relating to nurse practitioner (NP) education and practice in UK.

Aims: The aim of the study was to identify the principal factors that help or hinder the development of NP roles in the National Health Service.

Correct administration of topical eye treatment.

Although eye treatment is an important aspect of patient care, nurses may not always be aware of the implications of inadequate treatment of ophthalmic conditions. Topical eye treatments, including eye drops and ointments, are governed by the same controls as medication administered by other routes. The authors discuss eye treatment, the nurse's role in safe administration of medication and patient compliance with therapy.