Nursing standard (Royal College of Nursing (Great Britain) : 1987)
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Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) via an infusion pump enables patients experiencing pain as a result of surgery, trauma or acute exacerbation of chronic conditions, to administer their own analgesia. Opioids are commonly used in the pumps because of their effectiveness and availability. ⋯ The article emphasises the importance of educating patients in PCA use to maintain safety. It is suggested that nurses must provide the same level of care to patients using PCA as patients receiving analgesia by other means.
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Infection is a significant challenge in burn care, particularly for those patients who have major burn injuries. This article aims to review the literature and establish best practice in prevention and treatment of infection in patients with major burns. The article considers the causes and clinical features of wound infection, and examines systemic and local methods of prevention and treatment.
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This article, the sixth in a series on pain, aims to provide nurses with information about neuropathic pain, its causes, clinical presentation and treatment approaches, to assist in the management of patients with this condition. Neuropathic pain is a significant clinical problem. ⋯ It is important that symptoms are recognised promptly and appropriate treatments offered in a timely fashion to help reduce the burden of neuropathic pain and improve patients' quality of life. Nurses can play an important role in this process as they are often involved in pain assessment and can help to identify patients who may require neuropathic pain interventions.
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Diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder that is more common in patients with cancer than in the general population. The ethical dilemmas facing many healthcare professionals in the management of diabetes during the terminal phase of life include the timing of withholding or withdrawing treatment. Communication can also be difficult between healthcare professionals, patients and their families at this time. ⋯ Local protocols on diabetes management at the end of life have been developed in some areas, but there are no national or standardised guidelines. This can result in fragmented care. This article explores the need for better communication and the development of national guidelines so that the quality of end of life care for patients with diabetes can be improved.