Opinion
Board’s eye view Anatomy of Research for Nurses Christine Hedges and Barbara Williams Sigma Theta Tau £28.09 | 352pp ISBN: 9781938835117
THIS USER-FRIENDLY guide for conducting research in a clinical setting is a companion title to the excellent second edition of Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses. An American text with a range of contributing academic authors from the United States, there is little in the book that is not relevant for an international readership. Part one covers the support structure of research with chapters on evidence-based practice, nurse leaders, funding and resources.
Suicide and Self-Harm: An Evidence-informed Approach John Cutcliffe and José Carlos Santos Quay Books £29.99 | 296pp ISBN: 9781856424332
THE BULK of this book concerns suicide as a genuine desire to die; that is, as the result of a sense of hopelessness, rather than of self‑harming activities. After an introduction to the subject of suicide, and an overview of national policies and social trends, the authors focus on assessment and management of suicidal behaviour and self-harm. There are sections on separating suicide from self-harm, engaging with people who have suicidal thoughts the assessment
The second part concentrates on the practicalities of getting started, where to find research ideas, forming research teams, conducting a literature search and review, quantitative research designs, quantitative versus qualitative research, sampling methods, and data collection and measurement. The final part examines legal and ethical considerations, and research using children, prisoners and students as subjects. The last chapter covers research, the internet and social media. For example, there are discussions about Facebook and its research uses, using the internet as a medium for data collection, and the importance of data security and access to information. The ten-page glossary of terms is clear, with useful references at the end of chapters and a comprehensive index. Lesley Dee is a staff nurse in Cambridge
of suicide risk, ‘the inspiration of hope’, pharmacological interventions, talking therapies, post-discharge interventions and follow-up. There is also information for family and friends, case studies and examples, and areas for future research. The authors highlight the limitations of care based on intrusive close observation techniques and problematic drug treatments. They are optimistic about psychotherapies, however, especially talking treatments, which involve human engagement and the instillation of hope. In such approaches, suicidal behaviour is seen as an existential crisis rather than a discrete psychiatric symptom. Policymakers take note: the authors make clear that caring for suicidal people requires courage, commitment and resources, and that highly skilled staff are often needed for what appear to be mundane tasks. Peter Barraclough is a retired community mental health nurse in Wigan
What’s your view? If you want to express your opinions on any of the issues in Emergency Nurse, email the managing editor at [email protected] EMERGENCY NURSE
Inappropriate wording I WAS surprised to see that the lead news story of Emergency Nurse in June was about ‘inappropriate attenders’ in emergency departments (EDs). The piece speculated that much of the ED workload could be more ‘appropriately’ managed by primary care providers. I had assumed that, after the Manchester Triage (MT) system had been adopted, discussing this subject became unnecessary. If I recall correctly, the eminent clinicians associated with MT reminded us that there is no such thing as inappropriate attendance, only inappropriate care. Debate about the appropriateness of care implies that emergency care providers think that some patients deserve their attention more than others; in other words, that they are making some sort of value judgement. But making such judgements is fraught with difficulty. They are rarely objective stratifications of case mix but tend to reflect the beliefs and values of the people who make them. After all, one person’s inappropriate attender is another person’s patient in need. Do we really want to start labelling people in this fashion, perhaps before redirecting them to more appropriate providers or charging them for attending EDs? The UK still has – just – a universal, free-at-point-of-contact healthcare system that is cherished by most of the population. For one reason or another, primary care services cannot manage all of their workloads. This is the problem we should tackle. If we were to accept that one quarter of ED attenders should be managed elsewhere, some insightful managers may conclude that EDs need 25% fewer staff. We should be careful what we wish for. Jim Bethel is a senior lecturer and nurse practitioner in emergency care at the University of Wolverhampton and a member of the Emergency Nurse editorial advisory board September 2014 | Volume 22 | Number 5 13
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Board’s eye view Anatomy of Research for Nurses Christine Hedges and Barbara Williams Sigma Theta Tau £28.09 | 352pp ISBN: 9781938835117
THIS USER-FRIENDLY guide for conducting research in a clinical setting is a companion title to the excellent second edition of Anatomy of Writing for Publication for Nurses. An American text with a range of contributing academic authors from the United States, there is little in the book that is not relevant for an international readership. Part one covers the support structure of research with chapters on evidence-based practice, nurse leaders, funding and resources.
Suicide and Self-Harm: An Evidence-informed Approach John Cutcliffe and José Carlos Santos Quay Books £29.99 | 296pp ISBN: 9781856424332
THE BULK of this book concerns suicide as a genuine desire to die; that is, as the result of a sense of hopelessness, rather than of self‑harming activities. After an introduction to the subject of suicide, and an overview of national policies and social trends, the authors focus on assessment and management of suicidal behaviour and self-harm. There are sections on separating suicide from self-harm, engaging with people who have suicidal thoughts the assessment
The second part concentrates on the practicalities of getting started, where to find research ideas, forming research teams, conducting a literature search and review, quantitative research designs, quantitative versus qualitative research, sampling methods, and data collection and measurement. The final part examines legal and ethical considerations, and research using children, prisoners and students as subjects. The last chapter covers research, the internet and social media. For example, there are discussions about Facebook and its research uses, using the internet as a medium for data collection, and the importance of data security and access to information. The ten-page glossary of terms is clear, with useful references at the end of chapters and a comprehensive index. Lesley Dee is a staff nurse in Cambridge
of suicide risk, ‘the inspiration of hope’, pharmacological interventions, talking therapies, post-discharge interventions and follow-up. There is also information for family and friends, case studies and examples, and areas for future research. The authors highlight the limitations of care based on intrusive close observation techniques and problematic drug treatments. They are optimistic about psychotherapies, however, especially talking treatments, which involve human engagement and the instillation of hope. In such approaches, suicidal behaviour is seen as an existential crisis rather than a discrete psychiatric symptom. Policymakers take note: the authors make clear that caring for suicidal people requires courage, commitment and resources, and that highly skilled staff are often needed for what appear to be mundane tasks. Peter Barraclough is a retired community mental health nurse in Wigan
What’s your view? If you want to express your opinions on any of the issues in Emergency Nurse, email the managing editor at [email protected] EMERGENCY NURSE
Inappropriate wording I WAS surprised to see that the lead news story of Emergency Nurse in June was about ‘inappropriate attenders’ in emergency departments (EDs). The piece speculated that much of the ED workload could be more ‘appropriately’ managed by primary care providers. I had assumed that, after the Manchester Triage (MT) system had been adopted, discussing this subject became unnecessary. If I recall correctly, the eminent clinicians associated with MT reminded us that there is no such thing as inappropriate attendance, only inappropriate care. Debate about the appropriateness of care implies that emergency care providers think that some patients deserve their attention more than others; in other words, that they are making some sort of value judgement. But making such judgements is fraught with difficulty. They are rarely objective stratifications of case mix but tend to reflect the beliefs and values of the people who make them. After all, one person’s inappropriate attender is another person’s patient in need. Do we really want to start labelling people in this fashion, perhaps before redirecting them to more appropriate providers or charging them for attending EDs? The UK still has – just – a universal, free-at-point-of-contact healthcare system that is cherished by most of the population. For one reason or another, primary care services cannot manage all of their workloads. This is the problem we should tackle. If we were to accept that one quarter of ED attenders should be managed elsewhere, some insightful managers may conclude that EDs need 25% fewer staff. We should be careful what we wish for. Jim Bethel is a senior lecturer and nurse practitioner in emergency care at the University of Wolverhampton and a member of the Emergency Nurse editorial advisory board September 2014 | Volume 22 | Number 5 13
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 26, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
