You are currently searching within the context of the global site
Search in local site-
Prehabilitation in cancer care: preparing people for treatment physically and mentally
Prehabilitation is the process of enhancing an individual’s functional capacity by optimising their physical and mental health to prepare them for treatment. Prehabilitation is the first stage of the rehabilitation pathway and comprises pre-assessment, interventions and follow-up. It is designed to reduce the risk of the physical and psychological complications of cancer and its treatment, thereby improving patients’ ability to recover as well as their long-term outcomes.This article highlights the principles of prehabilitation in cancer care and its benefits for patients, and explores the role nurses can play in delivering prehabilitation assessments and interventions and in encouraging positive behaviour change in their patients.
-
Adult primary brain tumours: presentation, diagnosis, treatment and complications
Primary malignant brain tumours are aggressive tumours with limited treatment options, and as such they remain the largest cause of cancer-related deaths in men aged under 45 years and women aged under 35 years. Benign brain tumours are frequently treated with the intention to cure them. Both malignant and benign brain tumours often cause long-term, debilitating neurological effects, and if they recur can be fatal.This article outlines the updated World Health Organization classification of adult primary brain tumours, as well as their treatment and predicted outcomes. It also identifies the role of cancer specialist nurses in supporting patients and their families.
-
How to support nursing students to develop community care planning skills
Care planning for patients is an important element of the nurse’s role, yet some nursing students may miss its relevance to their practice. However, they can learn many skills by care planning thoroughly in partnership with patients. They can also expand their knowledge of the wider aspects of holistic care, including the importance of empowering and educating patients.This article discusses how to structure care planning systematically and assists practice supervisors to guide nursing students working in the community in their learning, showing how to relate certain aspects of care to specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) goals. The article also describes a structure for developing interventions for a care plan – professional values, assessment, treatment and education (PATE) – which nursing students can use to incorporate a chronological order into care that also encompasses health promotion.
-
Nursing care plans in mental health
This article explores best practice in co-creating recovery-orientated care plans. Recovery is a holistic experience that involves the service user beginning to regain a sense of control, alongside a reduction or absence of symptoms of mental distress. A care plan documents the needs of the service user and the interventions that will support their recovery. The history and development of care plans are explored and the benefits of care planning, involving good-practice guidelines and co-production, with service users are discussed. A case study is used to show strategies for planning care and recovery tools, and troubleshooting suggestions are provided for when there is a lack of engagement from the service user.Care planning is an important part of a mental health nurse’s role, as a legal record of care given and as a therapeutic tool to encourage recovery.
-
A nurse-led review of patient experience for development of quality services
This article gives an example of a nurse-led service review and explains the process of evaluating a service that includes nurse-led clinics, patient information and patient experience. The aim of the evaluation was to engage with patients to gather information about and understand their experience, to inform the development of quality services and patient pathways.
-
Abemaciclib▼ for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2−) metastatic breast cancer
Many patients with metastatic breast cancer develop resistance to endocrine therapy. Therefore, treatments with novel molecular targets have been developed to overcome endocrine resistance in patients with hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2−) metastatic breast cancer, including cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4 and CDK6) inhibitors. CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitors such as abemaciclib offer a new treatment option for patients with metastatic breast cancer.Nurses have an important role in providing guidance, education and support to patients with breast cancer. Since more patients are likely to receive abemaciclib, it will become increasingly important for nurses to understand how it works, how to effectively manage potential side effects and how to support patients with adhering to treatment.This article describes the rationale for the use of CDK4 and CDK6 inhibitors in patients with breast cancer, and provides practical advice on how to manage patients with metastatic breast cancer who have been prescribed abemaciclib.
-
Protecting nurses against the risks of occupational exposure to systemic anticancer therapy agents
Many agents used for systemic anticancer therapy (SACT), which include chemotherapy drugs, monoclonal antibodies and other biological therapies, are known to be carcinogenic, teratogenic and mutagenic. Occupational exposure to SACT agents carries a proven risk of short- and long-term adverse health effects such as nausea, headaches, dizziness, hair loss, impaired fertility and cancer. The risk of contamination exists not only for staff who prepare or administer SACT agents, but also for those involved in transport, storage and waste disposal. In the UK, the handling of SACT agents is subject to a series of laws, regulations and guidelines. However, there are still inconsistencies in practice and a lack of awareness of the risks involved and need for training. The necessary preventive measures are not always in place and some staff remain exposed to cytotoxic agents. Furthermore, the risk of occupational exposure to SACT agents has intensified in recent years due to a significant increase in their use. This article prompts nurses to reflect on the health risks associated with handling SACT agents and the preventive and protective measures required.
-
Differentiating between dementia, delirium and depression in older people
Older people can find hospital stays challenging and distressing. When their presenting symptoms make it challenging for healthcare professionals to differentiate between dementia, delirium and depression, their experience may be increasingly distressing, and can result in delays in diagnosis and treatment, as well as an increased risk of morbidity. This article considers each of the conditions of dementia, delirium and depression, their presenting features and how nurses can differentiate between them to enable comprehensive assessment, diagnosis and treatment in older people.
-
Prevention and management of urinary catheter blockages in community settings
Self-management of long-term urinary catheters can be challenging for patients, and recurrent catheter blockages may cause concern among patients, carers and healthcare professionals. Catheter blockages are a significant challenge for nurses practising in community settings, because frequent and unplanned catheter changes can be costly to healthcare services in terms of time and resources. This article details evidence-based recommendations for the assessment and diagnosis of catheter blockages, as well as the identification of risk factors. It also explains the interventions that can be used to prevent and manage catheter blockages and describes the role of the nurse in supporting patients with a long-term catheter in situ in community settings.
-
Assessment and management of chronic pain
Chronic pain can have significant physical, psychological and social effects on a person’s life, as well as on their families and friends. However, it is often not well-recognised or understood, which can lead to further harm. Therefore, an individualised, person-centred approach to chronic pain is essential to accurately assess pain and to develop an appropriate treatment plan. This article outlines the biomedical and psychosocial factors that can influence an individual’s pain experience that should be considered as part of the assessment and management of chronic pain, and explores the assessment tools available to assist in this process. It also discusses the management options available for chronic pain, including neural blockade and analgesics, as well as non-pharmacological options such as psychological approaches, physical activity and exercise, and complementary and alternative therapies.
