Bladder cancer risk stratification using a urinary mRNA biomarker panel - A path towards cystoscopy triaging.

Objectives: The risk of bladder cancer (BCa) diagnosis and recurrence necessitates cystoscopy. Improved risk stratification may inform personalized triage and surveillance strategies. We aim to develop a urinary mRNA biomarker panel for risk stratification in patients undergoing BCa screening and surveillance.

Pros and cons of using apps in clinical practice.

There is a lack of research on the use of smartphone apps among nurses in the UK, but the number of healthcare-related apps is increasing and it is likely that nurses will want to include them in practice. It will, therefore, be necessary to assess their effectiveness, appropriateness and efficacy to ensure they enhance patient care. This article looks at the literature on the subject and suggests some issues managers should consider before allowing the use of apps in their clinical areas.

Developing the children's nursing workforce: profile, first jobs and future plans of newly qualified diplomates.

Concerns regarding the number of children's nurses persist despite initiatives designed to reverse this trend. Recruiting and retaining a diverse nursing workforce is high on the policy agenda, particularly since the publication of the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. This article reports findings from the first phase of a longitudinal study investigating the careers of child branch diplomates, focusing on the cohort's profile, first jobs and future plans.

Measuring neonatal intensive care unit-related parental stress.

Aims: This paper reports a study: (1) to determine the validity and reliability of the Parent Stressor Scale:Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (PSS:NICU) for use with United Kingdom (UK) parents; (2) compare UK scores with those from a contemporary reference sample from the United States (US), (3) to identify the sources of greatest NICU-related stressors for parents and (4) to identify demographic or situational factors influencing NICU-related parental stress.

Background: Evaluation of the adequacy of nursing care and psychosocial support services for parents of ill infants in the NICU requires valid and reliable measures of parental stress. The PSS:NICU is a well-validated scale developed in the US to measure NICU-related parental stress.

Parents' views about infant pain in neonatal intensive care.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe parents' perceptions and feelings about their infant's pain experience and pain care in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Method: Thematic content analysis was used to encode the qualitative information contained in parents' written comments on a questionnaire about their views on infant pain and pain care. The questionnaire was completed by 257 parents from 9 neonatal units in the United Kingdom (n = 196) and 2 neonatal units in the United States (n = 61).

Beginning literacy: links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning.

Although the importance of phonological awareness has been discussed widely in the research literature, the concept is not well understood by many classroom teachers. In the study described here, we worked with groups of kindergarten and first-grade teachers (the experimental group) during a 2-week summer institute and throughout the school year. We shared with them research about learning disabilities and effective instruction, stressing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological and orthographic awareness.

Careers in child health nursing: the influence of course experiences.

Findings presented in this paper are drawn from a longitudinal study of nurses' careers (Robinson et al 1998, 1999). As part of this study, a large cohort of child branch diplomates were asked about their clinical experience while on the course and its effects on their initial work plans. For 12 of the 23 specialties listed, more than half of the 634 respondents felt that they did not have sufficient experience to comment.

Planning a career as a children's nurse: the availability of career guidance during the nurse diploma course.

The recruitment and retention of registered children's nurses is paramount to the implementation of the national service framework for children's services. In recent years there have been increased career opportunities for children's nurses and a diversity of career pathways. Career guidance has a potential contribution to make to the effective management of nurses' careers.