The concept of branding: is it relevant to nursing?

This concept exploration examines branding and its relevance to nursing. Branding is used to differentiate products through use of symbols. The symbols are the brands that are designed to communicate the value of products. Nursing has had many identifying symbols, such as the nurse's cap and the white uniform, but these symbols have failed to clearly communicate the essence of nursing. Lack of a distinct nursing brand has led to confusion about the discipline. The Roy adaptation model provides a view of branding as a process for clearly defining the profession, improving its image, and differentiating its role within the healthcare milieu.     

Systematic Reviews Published in the Cochrane Library January–March 2017

The Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews is now only published monthly online (http://www.thecochranelibrary.com). The methods for searching have changed and are in flux. This report attempted to identify all relevant reviews published in the last 3 months to March 30, 2017. The current version contains 7243 complete reviews and 2544 protocols for reviews in production. In addition, there are citations of 1,036,153 randomized controlled trials (first time passing the million mark) and 15,700 cited papers in the Cochrane Methodology Register. The Health Technology Assessment database contains some 17,000 citations. Six reviews have been identified that have potential relevance for practitioners in pain and palliative medicine. The impact factor of the Cochrane Library stands at 6.1. Readers are encouraged to access the full report for any articles of interest, as only a brief commentary is provided.     

Systematic Reviews Published in the Cochrane Library April–May 2017

The Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews is published monthly online (http://www.thecochranelibrary.com). The library currently contains 7332 complete reviews and 2520 protocols for reviews in production. In addition, there are citations of 1,055,253 randomized controlled trials and 15,764 cited papers in the Cochrane Methodology Register. The Health Technology Assessment database contains some 17,000 citations. The impact factor of the Cochrane Library stands at 6.1. This report attempted to identify all relevant reviews published in the 2 months to May 31, 2017. Eight reviews have been identified that have potential relevance for practitioners in pain and palliative medicine. Readers are encouraged to access the full report for any articles of interest, as only a brief commentary is provided.     

How does executive staff of home care nursing services estimate the situation of palliative care?

Experts criticise heavily the current situation of palliative care in the home care setting in Germany. They claim that the education in palliative care of all involved professional groups should be improved and specialized services should be adjusted. Only few is known in this context about the perspectives and attitudes of nursing staff, who is significantly involved in palliative care. Therefore, interviews with executive stuff of home care nursing services in the Federal State of Brandenburg were performed in the context of an evaluative opinion survey. 88 of 100 planned interviews took place. The nursing services estimated the current situation predominantly good. This does not support the experts' opinions found in the literature. Nevertheless, the respondents saw serious needs for improvements, in particular concerning psycho-social issues. Although palliative patients numerically seem to be in the background of every day work life, great interest in further qualification and new concepts of care was shown. So far, only few home care nursing services employ palliative care-trained staff.     

International cancer care: what is the role of oncology nursing?

Comprehensive cancer care continues to improve in the United States, but many developing countries carry a high cancer burden. With limited resources, nurses in such countries often are unable to improve cancer detection and treatment or relieve patient suffering. The Oncology Nursing Society has developed collaborative relationships with many international organizations to educate nurses around the world. Global partnerships have the potential to improve cancer care internationally and encourage more oncology nurses to use their expertise and become "citizens of the world."