More than just a health issue: a review of current issues in the care of enterally-fed children living in the community

There are increasing numbers of children with a disability living in the community who require enteral tube feeds to optimize their nutritional status. Whilst there appears to be evidence of health gains, for some children there may also be serious and unintended social deprivations resulting from the need to be tube fed. This paper reviews the literature on support for children who are tube fed and makes a case for more coordinated and effective support services for families who are tube feeding a child at home. It is argued that national guidance should be developed which clarifies the position of all non-parent carers and staff who are willing to administer enteral tube feeds. Such guidance should also ensure that enterally-fed children have the same rights to educational and social services as other children and that families are given the opportunity to make informed decisions about the implications of enteral feeding prior to it being established.     

Redefining community care social work: needs or risks led?

This reflective paper assesses whether the focus of community care social work is shifting from responding to needs to reducing or containing risks. Whilst public response to unacceptable risk has instigated major developments in health and welfare services and an overt concern with risk management is a key feature in elder abuse and mental health work, notions of risk have featured less explicitly in the community care literature. This paper suggests that community care assessment is increasingly concerned with risk management, as containing risks becomes a means of rationing scarce resources, when situations of high risk attract more resources than those where the risk is less. In addition, this emphasis on only the negative connotations of risk and the need for protection may constrain empowering service users to define their own positive risks.     

Issues of reliability and validity in the measurement of challenging behaviour (behavioural difficulties) in learning disability: a discussion of implications for nursing research and practice

• ? The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on issues related to the reliability and validity of measurement of challenging behaviour (behavioural difficulties) in learning disability. A number of practical, theoretical and methodological issues are discussed that have significance for the nurse both as practitioner and/or researcher in learning disability. These issues are equally important to both provider and purchaser of health care in order that resources can be most effectively targeted.
• ? The term ‘challenging behaviour’ would appear to be used both in literature and research synonymously with behavioural difficulties, this has implications for nurses in both their clinical practice and/or research. The author concludes by identifying a need to replace the term challenging behaviour, with ‘behavioural difficulties’. It is argued that such a term is much more explicit in meaning and amenable to operational definition, thus enabling empirical study. Such a proposal will not be accepted by all as justifiable; this is because some might argue that adopting the term behavioural difficulties may be a retrograde step that perpetuates negative imagery and inappropriate labelling of people with a learning disability.

     

An action research investigation into the feasibility of experienced registered sick children's nurses (RSCNs) becoming children's emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs)

• ? Emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs) formally developed in accident and emergency (A & E) departments as a direct response to waiting times for the walking wounded, the need to reduce junior doctors hours and changes in nursing practice.
• ? ENPs existed informally for many years in minor injuries units and specialist ophthalmic departments.
• ? This study aimed to examine whether or not the role of ENP could be applied to the specialist service of a paediatric casualty department.
• ? The results showed that 3% of patients could be seen and treated to conclusion by a children's ENP, and some patients could have their care accelerated by a children's ENP.
• ? The introduction of children's ENPs would have an impact on waiting times, junior doctors work-load and the quality of patient care.

     

Cervical cancer screening in Tamilnadu, India: a feasibility study of training the village health nurse

Uterine cervical cancer is the most common malignancy among females in developing countries, including India. The success of cervical cancer screening programs in North America and Western Europe has been the result of centralized cervical-cytology screening. This is not possible in the villages (n=17,000) of Tamilnadu where 58 percent of females in rural areas are illiterate, health infrastructure is mediocre, and cervical cytology is unknow. The present study was undertaken to examine if the village health nurse (VHN) could be trained quickly to identify a cervical abnormality by visual inspection so that we could down stage the cancer to earlier stages, more amenable to treatment. VHNs also would be trained to take an adequate Pap smear. A total of 101 VHNs were trained in batches and returned to their villages. Within two years, 6,459 engible women in the study area were screened. The agreement between the gynecologists and the VHNs in identifying cancer among those with abnormal cervix was 95 percent, and 80 percent of the Pap smears taken by VHNs were adequate by WHO criteria, making the feasibility study highly successful.Authors are with The Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, Madras, Tamil Nadu,India. Address correspondence to Dr Gajalakshmi, Epidemiology Division and Cancer Registry, 18, Sardar Patel Road, Cancer Institute (WIA), Madras-600 036, Tamilnadu, India. This project was funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research, Government of India, New Delhi, India.520 Cancer Causes and Control. Vol 7. 1996     

Thymic nurse cells account for the thymus dependency of preleukemic cells in mice after inoculation of radiation leukemia virus

Inoculation of Radiation Leukemia Virus (RadLV) into C57BL/Ka mice induces thymic lymphomas after a 3-6 month latent period. The leukemogenic process requires a sequence of events from the productive infection of susceptible target cells and induction of preleukemic cells to irreversible neoplastic transformation. Preleukemic cells were detected in the thymus during the first week following virus injection. The thymus dependency of these cells was shown to depend transiently upon peculiar lymphoepithelial complexes called "Thymic Nurse Cells" (TNCs). Indeed, the first preleukemic cells appearing in the RadLV-inoculated thymuses were observed selectively within TNCs. They remained closely associated with these complexes during the first 2 or 4 weeks. Later on, TNCs disappeared almost completely whereas non-TNCs associated preleukemic cells were found. Lymphoepithelial interactions within TNCs were thus required for the initial events of RadLV-induced lymphomagenesis. The subsequent TNCs depletion expressed a disturbance of thymic lymphopoiesis in relation with the neoplastic process.     

Medical Specialization,Profession, and Mediating Beliefs That Predict Stated Likelihood of Alcohol Screening and Brief Intervention: Targeting Educational Interventions

Practitioner-level educational approaches that promote screening and brief intervention (SBI) seldom consider providers' profession and medical specialization. Strategies that consider these variables may be better equipped to affect change in beliefs and behavior. The aim of this study was to identify beliefs that predict stated likelihood of practicing SBI by specialty and health profession in order to guide the direction of educational strategies. Physicians and nurse practitioners were studied that specialized in family, internal, obstetric gynecology (ObGyn), and pediatric medicine. The results indicated that independent of amount of previous postgraduate alcohol education and knowledge, self-rated competence mediated between specialty and likelihood of practicing SBI. For instance, low self-rated competence for ObGyn was a barrier that suppressed likelihood of practicing SBI. Other findings were that role legitimacy mediated the association between profession and likelihood of SBI, so that lack of role legitimacy was a barrier for physicians but not for nurse practitioners. We suggest that targeted educational strategies for ObGyn and pediatric clinicians may prove more effective than the prevalent one-size-fits all approaches aimed at general adult populations.     

社区也要开展药学服务

目的：调查社区居民家中备用药的保管和使用情况。方法：向社区居民发放家庭备用药自查表90份．收到有效表78份。调查内容包括有无家庭备用药；有无固定容器放置，是否避光、避热、避潮，是否放在儿童拿不到的地方．是否定期清理药品，是否存有无用法的药．有无过期药；备用药的种类；备用药来源和用法指导；比较不同文化程度的家庭备用药保管情况。结果：94．9％的家庭有备用药。有专用容器放置的占21．6％，注意避光、避热、避潮的家庭占29．7％，放在儿童拿不到的地方占28．4％。51．4％的家庭定期清理药品。不清理的家庭占31．1％。存有未标明有效期的药品的家庭占68．9％．存有无用法的药的家庭占74．3％，52．7％的家庭有过期药。备用药以感冒药(89．2％)和抗生素(77．0％)居多。87．8％的居民根据医师介绍用药，有药师指导的仅6．76％。文化程度高的家庭对药品的保管较文化程度相对低的家庭要好。结论：居民对家庭备用药的保管和使用存在一定问题，社区也应开展药学服务。     

锁骨下静脉置管化疗的应用及护理

目的 减少外周静脉化疗引起的静脉炎及药物外渗性损伤。方法 对46例锁骨下静脉置管化疗病人进行了护理观察。结果 接受锁骨下静脉置管的患者均完成了3周期化疗，导管保留时间最长为186天，无并发症发生。结论 应用中心静脉导管，一次置管可完成多程化疗，治疗方便，尤其适用于多程化疗及恶液质病人的支持治疗。     

Doctor or nurse? The patients' choice

This project's aim was to assess patients perceived need for a specialist nurse in inflammatory bowel disease. A letter was sent to 64 patients with a summary of the potential role of a specialist nurse. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire of 10 scenarios on who would be their preferred provider on the range of issues. There were 35 (55%) replies. When comparing the results between the consultant and the specialist nurse patients preferred to see a specialist nurse significantly in four scenarios, and patients preferred to see the consultant significantly in two scenarios. The results indicate that patients feel specialist nurses would have more time to discuss issues and they do not want to bother the busy doctors with them. But they do want doctors to carry out the medical aspects of their care.