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Conventionally, therapeutic assessments, interventions, and treatments have focussed on death-related “losses and grief” responses. It is purported that the COVID-19 aftermath has resulted in losses that cannot always be encapsulated... more
Conventionally, therapeutic assessments, interventions, and treatments have focussed on death-related “losses and grief” responses. It is purported that the COVID-19 aftermath has resulted in losses that cannot always be encapsulated using this method. In search of reasoning, models and theories that explain the sweeping mass destruction that COVID-19 has caused, key concepts arise in terms of how we should deal with losses and in turn support patients in the health and social care sector, (notwithstanding formal therapeutic services). There is a crucial need to embrace ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief into everyday terminology and be acquainted with these issues, thereby adapting how services/clinicians now embrace loss and grief work. Integral to this process is to recognize that there has been a disproportionate impact on Black and minority ethnic communities, and we now need to ensure services are “seriously culturally competent.” Primary Care services/IAPT/health and so...
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BACKGROUND There is very little research into the way that offender management strategies impinge on the practices and decision-making of palliative care personnel in community settings. AIMS To improve understanding of the challenges... more
BACKGROUND There is very little research into the way that offender management strategies impinge on the practices and decision-making of palliative care personnel in community settings. AIMS To improve understanding of the challenges that community palliative care service providers encounter when caring for people who have been sentenced to custody and are under the supervision of the prison or probation services. METHODS This paper discusses one part of a larger multidisciplinary study on bereavement, loss and grief in the criminal justice system. It reports the findings from a focus group with 10 health professionals working within specialist community palliative care services. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify and explicate the most significant themes arising from the transcript data. RESULTS There were situations where the participants were able to identify that patients were under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system or had relatives in custody. Three themes emerged that highlighted distinctive aspects of providing care to this patient group. These themes were: patients under prison, probation or police supervision altered the dynamics of care provision; prisoners were restricted from supporting or contacting their dying relatives in the community; and participants (professionals) were obstructed from supporting patients at home because of criminal or antisocial behaviour by relatives of the dying. CONCLUSIONS Health professionals face multiple challenges that curtail them from fully realising the aims of palliative care for patients and relatives under criminal justice supervision, in ways that merit further consideration and research.
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There is a growing scientific understanding and increasing public awareness of the influence of genetics on the development of cancer. This article, which is based on a review of the literature, focuses on how the awareness of genetic... more
There is a growing scientific understanding and increasing public awareness of the influence of genetics on the development of cancer. This article, which is based on a review of the literature, focuses on how the awareness of genetic predisposition to cancer is affecting patients and their families. It highlights the way that risk assessment for predisposition to cancer can conflict with traditional models of informed consent and can cause concern for families. It suggests that there is need for informed discussion within palliative care about how best to support families with concerns about a family history of cancer.
Research Interests: Nursing, Palliative Care, Hospice & Palliative Care Nursing, Family, Life Style, and 14 moreInformed Consent, Social Support, Risk assessment, Genetic counseling, Humans, Genetic Testing, Mutation, Oncology Nursing, Risk factors, Family Nursing, Neoplasms, Risk Factors, Risk Assessment, and Referral and consultation
To understand why healthcare professionals working in palliative care felt that pilgrimage to Lourdes could be a beneficial activity for the terminally ill. A qualitative study using a phenomenological framework. Nine semistructured... more
To understand why healthcare professionals working in palliative care felt that pilgrimage to Lourdes could be a beneficial activity for the terminally ill. A qualitative study using a phenomenological framework. Nine semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of hospice staff. The reasons given for accompanying the terminally ill to Lourdes reflected the general aims of palliative care. They included improving the quality of life through the provision of a holiday, maintaining patient choice and autonomy and enabling inner-transformations. The communitas, or altered relationships, formed during the pilgrimage were also seen as beneficial.
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ABSTRACT Leg ulcers caused by chronic venous insufficiency affect a great many of the population, costing the NHS an estimated £200 million per year. The clinical use of sterile maggots under the brand name LarveE has increased steadily... more
ABSTRACT Leg ulcers caused by chronic venous insufficiency affect a great many of the population, costing the NHS an estimated £200 million per year. The clinical use of sterile maggots under the brand name LarveE has increased steadily in the UK since they were introduced in the UK in late 1995. Maggot therapy breaks down necrotic tissue within a chronic wound, transforming it into an acute wound; subsequently beginning the healing process a lot quicker, thus reducing overall costs to the National Health Service. A literature review was conducted on studies that explored the use of maggot therapy in the management of chronic wounds. Four key themes were identified and analysed from this search, including infection control, promotion of healing, cost-effectiveness and the 'yuk' factor.
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To explore the perceptions and experiences of people with osteoarthrits (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding the knowledge and skills they want nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs) to have to manage their care needs. Two... more
To explore the perceptions and experiences of people with osteoarthrits (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding the knowledge and skills they want nurses and allied health professionals (AHPs) to have to manage their care needs. Two condition-specific focus groups were conducted in London with five people with OA and eight people with RA in January 2011. A semistructured interview guide was used. The focus groups were audiotaped and the transcripts analysed using content analysis. Shared and condition-specific themes were identified. The shared themes were: living with pain; the need for self-management; and meaningful consultation. The condition-specific themes were: no experts in OA; and wanting to talk in the RA participants. People with OA and RA wanted nurses and AHPs to listen, empathise and help them to manage their condition, especially the pain. Participants with RA would value psychological support. We need to ensure that nurses and AHPs have the knowledge and skills ...
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Care of the family is integral to palliative care, but little attention has been paid to the way nurses, or other healthcare professionals, are responding to the needs of families who are concerned about whether their family history of... more
Care of the family is integral to palliative care, but little attention has been paid to the way nurses, or other healthcare professionals, are responding to the needs of families who are concerned about whether their family history of cancer is associated with an inherited genetic predisposition. This paper discusses how palliative care nurses perceive the care needs of patients with a family history of cancer. Data were collected through recorded, semi-structured interviews with 10 nurses who had worked in specialist palliative care. The findings show that there are cogent arguments and concerns about raising the issue of an inherited genetic predisposition at the end of life (especially when the patient is close to death and there is a lack of knowledge about genetics). Nevertheless, exemplar cases are used to illustrate the reasons why it is important that nurses working in specialist palliative care settings are aware of the needs of this patient group. The paper highlights tha...
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The purpose of the present study was to identify the educational needs of rheumatology nurses and allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) working with people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A cross-sectional... more
The purpose of the present study was to identify the educational needs of rheumatology nurses and allied healthcare professionals (AHPs) working with people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A cross-sectional national online survey was carried out. The survey was completed by 162 health care practitioners. Seventy-one per cent of respondents had the knowledge and skills to manage the care of a person with RA. The elements of care for which the respondents were either unsure or did not have the necessary knowledge and skills related to providing advice on exercise (37%) and pain medication (30%) to people with RA. There was a consistent tendency for respondents to be less confident in their knowledge and skills when caring for people with OA, with respondents reporting that they were either unsure or did not have the necessary knowledge and skills to advise on appropriate exercise (61%), or medication for the management of pain (45%) or the management of ongoing care (51%). Current and future educational programmes on RA and OA management should provide nurses and AHPs with the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in providing advice on exercise and pain medication.
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therefore, it could be a good source for those scholars who are involved in comparative housing research. While that breadth of the book is a plus, it inevitably limits its capacity to drill deeper into some of the issues it raises.... more
therefore, it could be a good source for those scholars who are involved in comparative housing research. While that breadth of the book is a plus, it inevitably limits its capacity to drill deeper into some of the issues it raises. Chapter 8 (pp. 141–164) on the economic, social and cultural causes of homelessness is a case in point. The authors are constrained by space and scope in analysing how different factors contribute to homelessness in different countries. However, they have undertaken this analysis in many of their earlier research studies, to which due references have been given in the book. A book about a concept which is difficult to define must necessarily engage with theory and be grounded in empirical work. It should provide both a critique and an alternative. Indeed, this book does contain these elements. It is well researched, well written and carefully presented, with only minor editing problems, such as “become homelessness” (p. 1). This reviewer warmly recommends it to readers of this journal seeking to engage with these important worldwide concerns about the adequacy and inadequacy of shelter.
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Background: [AQ1 please provide one background sentence] Aims: To improve understanding of the challenges that community palliative care service providers encounter when caring for people who have been sentenced to custody and are under... more
Background: [AQ1 please provide one background sentence] Aims: To improve understanding of the challenges that community palliative care service providers encounter when caring for people who have been sentenced to custody and are under the supervision of the prison or probation services. Methods: This paper discusses one part of a larger multidisciplinary study on bereavement, loss and grief in the criminal justice system. It reports the findings from a focus group with 10 health professionals working within specialist community palliative care services. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify and explicate the most significant themes arising from the transcript data. Results: There were situations where the participants were able to identify that patients were under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system or had relatives in custody. Three themes emerged that highlighted distinctive aspects of providing care to this patient group. These themes were: patients under prison, probation or police supervision altered the dynamics of care provision; prisoners were restricted from supporting or contacting their dying relatives in the community; and participants (professionals) were obstructed from supporting patients at home because of criminal or antisocial behaviour by relatives of the dying. Conclusions: Health professionals face multiple challenges that curtail them from fully realising the aims of palliative care for patients and relatives under criminal justice supervision, in ways that merit further consideration and research.