Theory? Practice?

This second article about the difficult balance between academic and professional development in pre-European Spain poses the issue of the theory-practice, or learning-treatment, relationship as the historical dissolution of the practical in the theoretical.     

Crisis? What crisis?

The fact that 50% of the 4600 hours that constitute a pre-registration nursing programme takes place in the practice setting, means that there is considerable reliance on mentors and other clinicians to support and teach students. Clinical experience is vital if student nurses are to implement the theory they have learnt in the classroom and become competent and safe practitioners (Panther, 2008). There is, therefore, a need for high-quality clinical learning environments which both provide students with the support they need and measure their clinical competence. Mentors play a vital role in both these aspects and are the fulcrum on which practice learning depends (Pellatt, 2006).     

何谓疥疮?如何防治?

疥疮是由疥虫侵入皮肤引起的一种皮肤传染病。疥虫分雌、雄两种,雌虫长约0.3～0.4毫米,为卵圆形的扁平体,有八条腿,腿上有毛和吸盘,在低倍显微镜或普通放大镜下可看清疥虫的形状。雄虫的大小约为雌虫的一半。雄虫游行于皮肤表面,     

Heredit?res Angio?dem

Zusammenfassung □ Hintergrund  Das autosomal-dominant vererbte heredit?re Angio?dem geht mit intermittierenden ?demen im Haut-, Abdominal-, Tracheolaryngealoder Zerebralbereich einher. Bei jedem fünften Patienten fehlt aufgrund einer Spontanmutation die Familienanamnese. Serologische Leitbefunde sind verminderte Spiegel des Komplementfaktors 4 und des C1-Esterase-Inhibitors. Die heterogene Symptomatik führt h?ufig zur Verz?gerung oder Verwechslung der Diagnose. □ Falldarstellung  Berichtet wird über einen 50j?hrigen Patienten mit schubf?rmigen Gelenkschwellungen, abdominellen Koliken, Pleuraergüssen, Aszites, Zephalgien und Bewu?tseinsst?rungen seit Adoleszenz. Die Diagnose lautete systemischer Lupus erythematodes. Nach mehrmonatiger erfolgloser Immunsuppression ergab die Diagnoseüberprüfung ein heredit?res Angio?dem. Durch Anamnese und Laboruntersuchungen konnten in der Familie vier weitere F?lle aufgedeckt werden. Zwei davon waren ebenfalls seit Jahrzehnten erkrankt, aber fehleingesch?tzt worden. □ Schlu?folgerung  Bei unklaren Hautschwellungen, abdominellen Koliken, Larynx?demen, Pleuraergüssen und Zephalgien sollte das heredit?re Angio?dem in die Differentialdiagnose einbezogen werden. Bei früher Diagnose und ad?quater Therapie ist die Prognose günstig. ACE-Hemmer k?nnen das Krankheitsbild verschlimmern, und sind daher kontraindiziert. In einem Literaturüberblick werden Diagnose, Pathogenese und Therapie diskutiert. Herrn Professor Dr. Helmut L?ffler zum 68. Geburtstag.     

Case study: design? Method? Or comprehensive strategy?

As the case study approach gains popularity in nursing research, questions arise with regard to what it exactly is, and where it appears to fit paradigmatically. Is it a method, a design, are such distinctions important? Colin Jones and Christina Lyons review some of the key issues, with specific emphasis on the use of case study within an interpretevist philosophy.     

Nursing interpreters? Interpreting nurses?

Swiss hospitals are characterized by an increasing diversity, in the sense of personal and social differences such as including origin, gender language, skills, age, lifestyles and social status. Diversity is a challenge for hospitals. It is crucial to language barriers and migration and their clinical consequences. In spite of a trend towards interpreter services "going professional", interpreters are only reluctantly used. This is surprising. In this article we deal with three questions: What are clinical consequences of language barriers? How can language barriers be overcome? Should nurses act as interpreters? The literature available clearly shows that due to insufficient flow of information patients speaking a foreign language tend to receive inadequate care. Also, there is a consensus that patients' relatives acting as ad hoc interpreters are ill-equipped or unsuited to overcome language barriers. Conversely, professional interpreters improve most evidently the quality of care of patients speaking a foreign language. However in clinical everyday life the consistent use of interpreters is not always feasible. Thus, the setting-up of a pool of hospital-based ("internal"), trained bilingual health professionals appears to be an acceptable alternative.