Teenagers in hospital: what do they want?

A questionnaire based survey undertaken in north London secondary schools supported the need for designated hospital facilities for teenagers: 53 per cent of young people who had been admitted to a paediatric ward, and 81 per cent of those admitted to an adult ward, had felt out of place there; 77 per cent of the total (347 adolescents) surveyed, thought a specific teenagers' room would be an improvement in service. In this article, the authors present the research.     

Clinical supervision: what do we know and what do we need to know? A review and commentary

AIMS: This study is addressed to nurses but the issues are of equal concern to both midwives and health visitors. Clinical supervision ideally both challenges nurses as well as help their practice. There is need to identify critical elements that help professional practice and understand more clearly the changing nature of supervisory relationships. BACKGROUND: Clinical supervision in nursing is over a decade old in the UK and yet emerging nursing literature suggests that many ideas remain unfamiliar to nursing practice. The resistance shown by nurse towards clinical supervising remains perplexing. Moreover, ideas concerning clinical supervision have been applied without a substantive evidence base. METHODS: The discussion draws on varied ideas concerning supervision, including those outside of nursing, to ask what do we know and still need to know about clinical supervision. This study suggests that, a single approach to clinical supervision could be unhelpful to nursing. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION: Nursing knowledge concerning many aspects of clinical supervision is increasing because of research. Much of the literature suggests that clinical supervision is scholarly activity requiring much the same attention to relationships as the therapeutic activities it supports. This discussion concludes with the idea that clinical supervision might work at its best as a quiet activity allowing nurses to think about nursing work in ways that suit individual learning styles.     

How do we assess pain in rodents in veterinary practice,what do we know and why it is important?

Without the ability to effectively recognise pain and assess its severity in animals, there is no way of assessing the efficacy of analgesia administered. Therefore, we have no way of ensuring that pain is adequately managed. Despite the extensive use of rodents in medical research that often involves the assessment of pain and distress, translation of this knowledge to veterinary medicine has been relatively neglected, and original veterinary research in pain assessment in rodents is lacking. This article aims to provide a broad overview of common behaviours that could be used to assess pain in rodents.     

Clinical ethics committees in Norway: what do they do, and does it make a difference?

The first clinical ethics committees (CEC) in Norway were established in 1996. This started as an initiative from hospital clinicians, the Norwegian Medical Association, and health authorities and politicians. Norwegian hospitals are, by and large, publicly funded through taxation, and all inpatient treatment is free of charge. Today, all the 23 hospital trusts (providing specialized and hospital-based healthcare services to the Norwegian population of 4.9 million people) have established at least one committee. Center for Medical Ethics (SME), University of Oslo, receives an annual amount of US$335,000 from the Ministry of Health and Care Services to coordinate the committees and to facilitate competency building for committee members.     

How well do you know your patient population?

A firm knowledge of patient population characteristics enables accurate competency assessment.