British journal of community nursing
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Br J Community Nurs · Apr 2008
ReviewInnovation in practice: mobile phone technology in patient care.
Mobile phones are becoming increasingly important in everyday life and now in healthcare. There has been a steady growth of information and communication technologies in health communication and technology is used progressively in telemedicine, wireless monitoring of health outcomes in disease and in the delivery of health interventions. Mobile phones are becoming an important method of encouraging better nurse-patient communication and will undoubtedly increase in application over coming years. This article presents recent developments and applications of mobile technology for health promotion and patient-monitoring in chronic disease.
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A coroner's inquest is the most likely court a district nurse is going to be required to attend during the course of their career. Courts and inquests remain shrouded in the rituals and traditions of the legal system and appearing at an inquest can be a daunting experience. It is important that district nurses are aware of the role and function of an inquest including, the types of death that require an inquest, the conduct of an inquest and the role of witnesses before and during the inquest. In this way you will be better prepared to fulfil your role as a witness and contribute effectively to the coronial process.
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Br J Community Nurs · Jan 2008
ReviewDealing sensitively with sexuality in a palliative care context.
Sexuality is integral to a person's identity and is encompassed in holistic palliative care. Current directives emphasize psychosocial support that is sensitive to a variety of issues, including sexuality, and offer community nurses the mandate to facilitate expressing sexuality. Nurses fail to address sexuality for a variety of reasons. ⋯ This guides the 'what', 'how' and 'why' sexuality in palliative care can be addressed. Ethics and safety aspects are briefly discussed and implications for practice suggested. Educating staff and focused education for the patient can positively influence sexuality and individuals' quality of life.
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Communities as we have known them are disintegrating, and traditional services are becoming dispersed or closed altogether. But rather than cry over spilt milk, local citizens must seize the opportunity (now offered by all parties) to seriously engage with all the public authorities and reshape the neighbourhoods in which they live.
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Br J Community Nurs · Sep 2007
ReviewCOPD and coping with breathlessness at home: a review of the literature.
Patients with COPD and their partners often feel isolated while trying to cope with the psychological and physical effects of their condition and the change in their quality of life. Research studies support the fact that some patients with COPD cope better with their breathlessness at home with appropriate community support. ⋯ However, there appears to be an imbalance in the provision of community support/palliative care for COPD patients who have a life-limiting illness compared to other patients with a life limiting illness and a cancer diagnosis. Where 'hospital at home' and support in the community for COPD patients occurs it is provided in many different ways and has been shown to reduce the necessity for acute hospital admissions.