Physical activity and learning disability.

The inclusion of people with learning disabilities in sporting activities promotes a number of positive outcomes. These may include opportunities for social inclusion, the creation of positive role models for other people with learning disabilities, the opportunity to present people with learning disabilities in valued social roles to a global community, sharing of common interests and experiences, and social and competitive rewards. There is also the potential for positive physical and mental health outcomes.

A partnership approach to learning about accountability.

Clinicians and healthcare providers are frequently reminded that they are 'accountable' practitioners - but what is the definition of accountability, and how does it apply in a practical and legal context? To clarify these issues, the University of Nottingham School of Nursing has formed a partnership with Browne Jacobson Solicitors. Together they have developed a 7-stage training programme for nursing students which covers the key aspects of accountability, including ethical concepts, the law of negligence, and scenario-based training on being called as a witness in an investigation. This article introduces the implications of accountability and describes the structure and syllabus of the programme, including participants' feedback on the benefits of the experience.

How effective are physical activity interventions for alleviating depressive symptoms in older people? A systematic review.

Background: The benefits of physical exercise in reducing clinically defined depression in the general population have been established, although a review of the evidence for older adults is needed.

Objectives: To assess the efficacy of physical exercise for the treatment of depressive symptoms in older adults (>60 years).

Data Sources: We searched: MEDLINE (1966-May 2008); EMBASE (1980-May 2008); Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; 1982-May 2008); PsycINFO (1966-May 2008), The Cochrane Library (Issue 2, 2008), and National Research Register (NRR; Issue 2, 2008).

Exercise intervention in brain injury: a pilot randomized study of Tai Chi Qigong.

Objective: To examine the effects of a brief Tai Chi Chuan Qigong ('Qigong') exercise intervention on individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Design: A single-centre randomized controlled trial pilot study.

Setting: A registered charity day centre in the community.

Influencing organisational change in the NHS: lessons learned from workplace wellness initiatives in practice.

This article presents a discussion of the key issues in influencing organisational change in NHS settings, in the development of workplace wellness interventions to improve employee health and wellbeing. To tackle poor public health and associated rising healthcare costs, there must be a focus on the root cause of many preventable diseases - unhealthy lifestyle choices. Workplace wellness initiatives are now an important prevention strategy adopted by socially responsible organisations to target the health and wellbeing of working age adults.

Practice learning teams: a partnership approach to supporting students' clinical learning.

The importance of clinical learning for students has been acknowledged by both government and nursing regulatory bodies who have called for partnerships and collaborative structures to be developed to facilitate the provision of good quality structured support for all learners in practice placements [Department of Health DOH, Making a Difference: Strengthening the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Contribution to Health and Health Care, Department of Health, London, 1999; ; United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting; UKCC, Fitness for Practice: The UKCC Commission for Nursing and Midwifery Education, 1999; United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. London; ; ENB/DoH, Placements in Focus. English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, London, (2001b)].

The application of crime science to the prevention of medication errors.

It is now accepted that human error in healthcare is inevitable and that a punitive response does not facilitate patient safety. Reason's (2000) system approach acknowledges that adverse events, such as medication errors, rarely have a single explanation and advocates the review of systemic factors, such as organizational culture, management and strategy. Rational choice theory has much in common with the system approach but the emphasis is on understanding the decision-making process of those who make errors.

The application of crime science to the prevention of elder abuse.

The abuse of older people is a significant problem, with estimates intimating that there may be over 340,000 cases per year in the United Kingdom. Despite improvements in screening and assessment to identify and treat those who are abused or at risk of abuse, the healthcare community remains preoccupied with prevalence rather than prevention. In light of the paucity of health-related research evidence to support the effectiveness of preventative measures, the application of crime prevention theory and knowledge is appropriate.

Patients referred to a pain management clinic: beliefs, expectations and priorities.

Aim: This paper is a report of a study to explore patients' pain-beliefs and emotions at the point of referral to a pain clinic, their expectations of the clinic and their priorities for improvement in aspects of their lives affected by pain.

Background: Chronic pain is a common experience and, although the percentage of people with pain referred to pain clinics is increasing, they often experience complex journeys through the healthcare system. Patients' beliefs about pain have been shown to influence their experience of pain and treatment outcomes, with a focus on the organic cause of pain reported.

Infection control: worlds apart primary and secondary care.

Healthcare associated infection continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in healthcare. The fact that most of what has been written on the subject of infection control and prevention relates to the hospital setting is perhaps understandable given the proximity and immune status of patients in secondary care. However, the change of term from hospital-acquired infection to healthcare-associated infection acknowledges that a similar burden may exist in community settings.

Early nursing career experience for 1994-2000 graduates from the University of Nottingham.

Aim: This paper reports the views of nurses graduating from the University of Nottingham School of Nursing, UK, 1994-2000, Bachelor of Nursing (Hons) course, concerning career aspirations, progress and reflections on their qualification.

Background: Alongside academic knowledge and practical skills, this four-year Bachelor of Nursing course aimed to develop students' critical thinking and research skills. The degree's effect on nurses' career trajectories is unknown.

Resuscitation great. A history of mechanical devices for providing external chest compressions.

The importance of providing good quality chest compressions with limited interruptions has been emphasised by the Resuscitation Guidelines 2005. The difficulties of providing consistent, good quality, chest compressions manually are well documented and attempts have been made to devise mechanical means to achieve this. Many see the development of mechanical devices as a new phenomenon; however, as with many other components of resuscitation science, they have in fact been available for a number of years.

Respiratory drive in hindlimb motoneurones of the anaesthetized female cat.

Anatomical studies have shown a monosynaptic projection from nucleus retroambiguus (NRA) to semimembranosus (Sm) motor nucleus in female cats, which is stronger in oestrus. Expiratory bulbospinal neurones are the best documented functional cell type in the NRA. If these cells participate in this projection, an expiratory drive would be expected in Sm motoneurones and this drive would be expected to be stronger in oestrus.

Perceptual adjustment levels: patients' perception of their dignity in the hospital setting.

Dignity is an important concept which lies at the heart of nursing. Despite the statements made by various international bodies, as a concept it remains complex and under researched. This is because it needs to be understood from the patient's point of view and experience.

An educational panopticon? New technology, nurse education and surveillance.

This papers raises concerns about the use of new technology in nurse education. It is possible that new forms of computer-based learning and teaching carry with them the possibility of new kinds of 'panoptic' surveillance and control of students. We discuss how this is possible, and set this development within a wider social context.

A voice for nursing.

The Pain Society has become a broader based organisation, with nurses taking key roles in its development, with the aim of improving care for patients in pain.

Student nurses' experiences of Project 2000.

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate student nurses' experiences of Project 2000.

Method: A sample of 76 students completed a questionnaire twice, once at the beginning of the course and again after one year. A second questionnaire comprising rating scales of how stressed they felt, was completed by a sample of 30 students weekly for the first year of the course.

Issues emerging from the London Learning Disability Plan.

This article gives an overview of the draft of the London Learning Disability Plan developed by the Department of Health, Social Services Inspectorate and the National Health Service Executive. The London Plan is founded on a social model of disability in which there is not only a strong focus on health and social care, but also an integration with housing, education, employment, leisure and other relevant organizations. It advocates integrated commissioning and delivery of specialist learning disability services that will require both health services and nurses to change existing structures and interventions.

Immediate management of acute severe asthma in adults.

Asthma is a disease with an increasingly high incidence in the UK, tragically accounting for almost 2000 UK deaths per year (Jones and Morris, 1997). Acute severe asthma is potentially life-threatening, necessitating immediate assessment and management. This article covers the main types of asthma, the pathophysiology of asthma, and the principles and rationale for the immediate management of adults admitted to the accident and emergency department suffering from an acute severe asthma attack.

First aid in the history of occupational health nursing.

The history of occupational health nursing has been bedevilled with a vision of nurses who sit in treatment rooms providing first aid and nothing else. This paper provides a preliminary review of some of the literature available in the UK in an attempt to offer an explanatiion concerning the association of occupational health nursing with first aid. The argument suggests that female first aiders were known as nurses prior to 1919 and the legacy of this post-1919, with first aiders inappropriately and probably illegally using the title 'sister', has led to the ambiguity surrounding the role today.