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Biological basis of child health 11: anatomy, physiology and development of the senses
This article, the 11th in the Biological basis of child health series, focuses on the senses. There are five basic senses in humans: hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste. Several congenital and acquired conditions can affect the senses and may have significant negative effects on a child’s development and ability to communicate with others.This article explores each of the five senses, discussing their anatomy, physiology and embryological development, as well as common conditions affecting sensory function in children. It aims to provide children’s nurses with an understanding of the role of the senses in supporting children to make sense of the world, and how knowledge of this can be linked to clinical practice.
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Biological basis of child health 10: function and formation of blood and common blood disorders in children
This article, the tenth in a series on the biological basis of child health, focuses on blood. Blood has a crucial role in the transport of substances such as respiratory gases, nutrients and antibodies, as well as in acid-base balance, fluid balance, blood clotting and the immune system.This article describes the composition, formation and function of blood, outlines normal blood count values and explains the effects of low blood cell counts in children. It also provides an overview of the blood disorders that are commonly seen in children, including anaemia, sickle cell disease, clotting disorders and blood cancers. It is essential for children’s nurses to have knowledge and an understanding of blood, including its physiology and pathophysiology, to provide optimal care and support to children and young people and their families.
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Tourette’s syndrome: challenging misconceptions and improving understanding
Tourette’s syndrome affects about 1% of the school-age population. Children and young people with the condition exhibit involuntary motor and vocal (also known as phonic) tics. Only 10% of those with Tourette’s syndrome have coprolalia, which involves involuntary swearing and inappropriate language. Tourette’s syndrome often presents with other conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Those affected by Tourette’s syndrome may be able to manage the condition with little or no professional support, but some may need pharmacological and nonpharmacological input, particularly from mental health services. It is essential that peers, teachers, healthcare staff and members of the public are aware of Tourette’s syndrome to ensure that children and young people living with the condition are supported well.
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Use of individual formulation in mental health practice
Formulation is a collaborative process that promotes shared understanding of a service user’s narrative to ensure their care is meaningful. This article provides an overview of individual formulation in mental health practice. It explores the interaction between formulation and interventions, and how mental health practitioners can work with service users by using formulation to plan and implement care. The article also presents two models of formulation – the five-area and 5Ps models – and explains how these can be used across a wide range of clinical presentations to understand a service user’s immediate problems and longer-term challenges, thus supporting the selection of appropriate evidence-based interventions.
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Hilda Hand
Complete notebook
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Promoting healthy eating in nurses
Across the world obesity rates in the general population have been increasing in recent years, a trend that has also been seen among nurses. Alongside the negative health effects of obesity such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, the condition affects an individual’s ability to work and results in increasing rates of absenteeism. However, the nature of nursing shift patterns and the healthcare workplace itself can influence a nurse’s ability to eat healthily.This article discusses how obesity and healthy eating can affect the nursing role, as well as examining leadership and management practices that can support healthy eating in the workplace. The article is aimed at supporting nurse managers to reflect on their own lifestyle behaviour, which in turn will enable them to engage more with the topic of healthy eating among staff.
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Effective nurse leadership in times of crisis
The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has meant that nurse leaders need to respond rapidly and decisively to the demands and challenges of a pandemic in a context of increased staff shortages and limited resources. This article suggests essential leadership skills and characteristics that nurses can use to underpin effective leadership in a crisis, emphasising the importance of decision-making and emotional intelligence. It also addresses two important questions: ‘what do leaders in a crisis need to do that differs from any other time?’ and ‘what does effective leadership look like in a crisis?’
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Effective communication with older people
Effective communication with older people is an important aspect of nursing practice. Ineffective communication can lead to older people feeling inadequate, disempowered and helpless. Nurses have a duty to ensure that older people think they are being listened to and that their concerns are being validated in a non-judgemental way. Central to effective communication is the ability of nurses to be self-aware, and monitor their thoughts and feelings about, for example, negative stereotypes associated with the ageing process.Effective communication can sometimes be difficult to achieve due to the effects of ageing, but nurses can overcome some barriers through thoughtful interventions. It is important to treat older people as individuals, and to monitor and adapt communication accordingly. By doing so, nurses can ensure older people feel empowered, respected and able to maintain their independence.
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Approaches to managing older people using opiates and their risk of dependence
There is little doubt that opiates have transformed healthcare, particularly in relation to pain management. However, many patients prescribed this type of drug develop problems such as dependency. Although we do not know how many older people have developed such problems due to opiate use we know that some will. It is important for nurses to understand the context in which opiates are used, as well as the specific needs of older people and how to respond to them.
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Ethical practice in dementia care
This article draws on a range of case study examples from dementia care and explains how ethical theory can be applied to enhance professional practice. Ethical concepts are critically examined in this context and tensions between them are explored. The article demonstrates how an established ethical framework can assist with application in practice situations. It also argues that cultivating virtues, such as courage and receptivity, is an essential aspect of providing ethical nursing care for people with dementia.
