A description of clients nursed by community psychiatric nurses whilst attending English National Board Clinical Course No. 811: clarification of current role?

The English National Board Clinical Course No. 811 is a 36-week preparation for community psychiatric nurses (CPNs). Unlike health visiting or district nursing the course is not yet a mandatory prerequisite for practice and it has been estimated that, nationally, 23% of all CPNs have been awarded the certificate to date. There are currently 24 course centres in England, offering 420 places annually. The completion of a care study by the course student is a curriculum requirement. The present study aimed to establish the characteristics of clients chosen by course students for such work whilst attending the course in an attempt to obtain a 'proxy' measure of the current CPN role nationally. A stratified random sample of eight course centres was selected--four based in schools of nursing, and a further four located in establishments of higher education. Then within each course centre a stratified random sample of students was selected, who each completed a postal questionnaire. A 79% response was obtained. The results are described and discussed within the context of the CPN's developing role. The findings suggest that many CPNs conceptualize their role and function, to use Caplan's terminology, at the primary prevention level, and see their work as being located firmly in primary health care settings. The desirability of this orientation to CPN intervention is examined, acknowledging both mental health service developments and the wider educational implications.     

The incidence of venous thromboembolism and its effect on survival among patients with primary bladder cancer

BACKGROUND:

The incidence, risk factors, time course, and impact on survival of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a large, population‐based study of patients with bladder cancer have not been identified previously.

METHODS:

The California Cancer Registry was merged with the California Patient Discharge Data Set to determine the incidence of VTE in patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer within a 6‐year period. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the risk factors for VTE and the effects of VTE on survival.

RESULTS:

Among 24,861 patients with bladder cancer, the 2‐year incidence of VTE was 1.9%. The highest incidence of VTE occurred in the first 6 months regardless of age, sex, race, tumor stage, or histologic subtype. In a multivariate model, significant risk factors for the development of VTE included major surgery, advancing disease stage, and increasing number of comorbidities. Compared with the general population, the 1‐year standardized incidence ratio for VTE in the bladder cancer cohort was 5.3 (95% confidence interval, 4.8‐5.9). Among patients with bladder cancer, significant risk factors for death included advancing disease stage, increasing comorbidities, African‐American race, nontransitional cell carcinoma histology, and the development of VTE.

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients with bladder cancer had a 1.9% 2‐year incidence of VTE. Metastatic disease was the strongest predictor of both VTE and death. It was noteworthy that cancer‐associated surgery was associated with a higher risk of VTE, which differed from the results reported from other studies in solid tumors. VTE was a significant predictor of death in the first 2 years. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Epithelial membrane protein‐2 expression is an early predictor of endometrial cancer development

BACKGROUND:

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common malignancy worldwide. It is often preceded by endometrial hyperplasia, whose management and risk of neoplastic progression vary. Previously, the authors have shown that the tetraspan protein epithelial membrane protein‐2 (EMP2) is a prognostic indicator for EC aggressiveness and survival. Here the authors validate the expression of EMP2 in EC, and further examine whether EMP2 expression within preneoplastic lesions is an early prognostic biomarker for EC development.

METHODS:

A tissue microarray (TMA) was constructed with a wide representation of benign and malignant endometrial samples. The TMA contains a metachronous cohort of cases from individuals who either developed or did not develop EC. Intensity and frequency of EMP2 expression were assessed using immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS:

There was a stepwise, statistically significant increase in the average EMP2 expression from benign to hyperplasia to atypia to EC. Furthermore, detailed analysis of EMP2 expression in potentially premalignant cases demonstrated that EMP2 positivity was a strong predictor for EC development.

CONCLUSIONS:

EMP2 is an early predictor of EC development in preneoplastic lesions. In addition, combined with our previous findings, these results validate EMP2 as a novel biomarker for EC development. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Carotid artery: percutaneous transbrachial selective arteriography with a 4-F catheter

Bilateral selective common carotid artery catheterization was attempted in 72 patients by means of percutaneous placement of a 4-F catheter from a right brachial artery puncture site in the antecubital fossa. The success rate was high (95.8%) and the complication rate low (6.9%), and there were no instances of brachial artery spasm or thrombosis. The experience, while small, suggests that selective common carotid arteriography can be done safely and efficaciously from the right brachial artery approach.     

Needs and anxiety levels in relatives of intensive care unit patients

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceived needs and anxiety levels of adult family members of intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The study was conducted over a 3-month period, on a convenience sample of 166 subjects selected from the total adult population of family members visiting an ICU patient in three Sudbury hospitals. Data were gathered using a self-report questionnaire, the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI) and Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Interviews were conducted in French or English according to the subject's preference. The major variables examined were: family needs; state and trait anxiety; on-site sources of worry; spiritual needs; level of knowledge of ICU from past experience or pre-surgery education; sociodemographic data. The Situational Anxiety Scale yielded a mean score of 45.24 and the Trait Anxiety Scale a mean score of 37.3. Inferential statistics demonstrated that family needs and situational anxiety were significantly related (P less than 0.0002). Furthermore, worries, trait anxiety, age and family needs explained 38% of the variation of situational anxiety. As well, spiritual needs and situational anxiety explained 33% of the variation of family needs.     

Measuring the quality of nursing care: a consideration of different approaches

This paper argues that a preoccupation with cost-effectiveness threatens to swamp nurses' traditional concern with quality of care, and underlines the importance of clinical nurses becoming familiar with the complexities of quality measurement. Terminology widely used in the nursing literature is clarified and research studies that address the quality of nursing care are reviewed. It is suggested that whilst some of these have provided important theoretical insights into quality issues, the qualitative research methods employed have so far failed to provide a practical alternative to the more 'objective' measures of quality currently adopted by clinical nurses and their managers. Generic measures of quality are identified and categorized and it is suggested that most of these are in need of extensive validity testing in relation to the concepts of quality that they purport to measure. The measures of quality themselves may be less important than the content in and process by which they are applied. 'Top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches to measurement are discussed in relation to the notion of facilitative leadership. The value of top-down approaches is questioned on the grounds that they may violate the integrity of the quality-assurance cycle and prevent clinical nurses from making the commitment that is necessary in order to assess and improve the quality of their nursing practice.