The development of evidence based guidelines for clinical practice portfolios.

Aims: Although the use of portfolios is widespread within healthcare education, agreement on their purpose, content, assessment and value is still debated. The objective of this study was to achieve consensus on quality criteria for clinical practice portfolios that would act as guidance for students and lecturers.

Methods: A Delphi survey was undertaken to seek consensus on the opinions of 23 'expert participants' through a series of rounds of structured questionnaires.

Pilot testing of guidelines to support good practice in the development of professional portfolios.

Aims: The aims of this study were to evaluate whether the introduction of new evidence based portfolio guidelines helped students and assessors to understand the expectations for completion of a clinical practice portfolio, and whether this understanding resulted in the submission of evidence consistent with the guidelines.

Methods: New evidence based portfolio guidelines were introduced to an undergraduate BSc (Hons) Radiography (Diagnostic) programme. A total of 134 students completed 12 item questionnaires relating to using the portfolio guidelines.

Meeting the needs of minority ethnic patients.

Background: Certain aspects of nursing care related to minority ethnic patients are being highlighted in the literature, but there is little exploration of nurses' experiences of caring for people from specific minority ethnic groups.

Aim: This paper reports an investigation into the experiences of Registered Nurses caring for hospitalized Pakistani patients in the United Kingdom.

Method: A qualitative study, with a sample of 30 Registered Nurses using semi-structured interviews.

Managing society's difference and diversity.

The need for nurses to be more culturally sensitive to deliver better health care to minority ethnic groups is the subject of this article. The author argues that there needs to be better understanding of equality, more value placed on diversity, better recognition of racism and active challenging of racism when and where it occurs in health care.

Nursing ethics, caring and culture.

Recent years have witnessed the publication of numerous articles that draw a critical alignment between ethics and caring. In essence, this theme suggests that caring is a moral pursuit centred on the beneficent attention of one person shown to another. Yet, if such language is to have real poignancy, it must be geared towards an inclusive agenda that meets the needs of all within the community.