IN BRIEF
CHAT DURING SURGERY TO REDUCE ANXIETY Talking with a nurse during surgery can relax patients and help reduce their pain, a study has found. Distraction techniques such as watching a DVD, using stress balls or talking with a nurse helped reduce anxiety and pain for patients during varicose vein surgery, according to research from the University of Surrey published in the European Journal of Pain this week. The study involved 398 patients who were split into four groups – the first was played music, the second watched a DVD, the third interacted with a nurse, and the fourth was given stress balls. Interacting with a nurse who sat near their head and talked, but did not touch the patient’s hands, was found to be the most effective way of reducing a patient’s anxiety, by 30 per cent. Pain was also reduced by 16 per cent. Those in the stress balls group had their anxiety reduced by 18 per cent, while they experienced 22 per cent less pain. Listening to music had no effect on anxiety or pain. ‘The use of simple distraction techniques can significantly improve patient experience,’ said study author Jane Ogden from the University of Surrey.
Plan to improve health care for men who have sex with men An action plan to address health inequalities affecting men who have sex with men began this week. The 18-month Public Health England (PHE) programme aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections, improve reporting of mental health problems and reduce levels of drinking, smoking and drug misuse. It will respond to the needs of this community and involve the NHS and private and third-sector organisations, said PHE director of health and wellbeing Kevin Fenton. Research shows that men who have sex with men are twice as likely as other men to experience anxiety and depression, and to depend on drugs and alcohol. It is also the group most affected by HIV. RCN diversity and equalities co-ordinator Wendy Irwin said: ‘Nurses and healthcare assistants are natural advocates for patients and can create the momentum needed to turn this situation around.’
A trust catering team that uses farm-assured meat and sustainably sourced fish has received an award for serving fresh and healthy food. The catering team at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded the Bronze Catering Mark under the Soil Association’s Food for Life scheme. Head of catering Emma Wilson said good food had multiple benefits for patients and staff. Nurses, parents and carers have been warned about the dangers of using bath seats with young children after a report found that they were involved in one in three accidental drowning deaths in children aged two and under. Public Health England warned not to leave babies unattended in the seats, which can tip over, following the report by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. School nurses from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust who developed a messaging service for 11-19 year olds have been shortlisted for two awards. Staff who designed ChatHealth, which allows young people to speak to a school nurse by text, are finalists in two categories of the Patient Experience Network National Awards. Midwives must be vigilant in monitoring and reporting female genital mutilation (FGM) to help prosecute perpetrators, according to Royal College of Midwives professional policy adviser Janet Fyle. Health & Social Care Information Centre figures show 2,146 active cases and 558 newly identified cases were reported nationally in December. Mandatory reporting of FGM, identifying women at risk and supporting survivors were needed to build a legal framework, she said. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is calling for evidence to support the development of safe staffing guidelines on inpatient mental health settings. NICE wants to hear from organisations that collect information on staffing levels and any evidence that could inform the guidelines. Go to tinyurl.com/qfnvu4l The health service ombudsman has revealed that more than one third of NHS investigations into allegations of avoidable harm or death were inadequate and failed to identify when something had gone wrong. Julie Mellor reviewed 150 complaints into care received in England and found 20 cases that should have been investigated, but were not. A full report is expected to be published later this year. Nurse staffing levels at Colchester General Hospital’s A&E department were unsafe and led to a high number of serious incidents with life-changing consequences for patients, according to a report by the Care Quality Commission published last week. Conditions have been placed on the trust’s registration. But the trust said the report had not recognised the pressure the hospital was under during the inspection or the improvements it had made over the past 12 months.
NURSING february 11other :: voluses 29 no 24 ::permission. 2015 11 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
CHAT DURING SURGERY TO REDUCE ANXIETY Talking with a nurse during surgery can relax patients and help reduce their pain, a study has found. Distraction techniques such as watching a DVD, using stress balls or talking with a nurse helped reduce anxiety and pain for patients during varicose vein surgery, according to research from the University of Surrey published in the European Journal of Pain this week. The study involved 398 patients who were split into four groups – the first was played music, the second watched a DVD, the third interacted with a nurse, and the fourth was given stress balls. Interacting with a nurse who sat near their head and talked, but did not touch the patient’s hands, was found to be the most effective way of reducing a patient’s anxiety, by 30 per cent. Pain was also reduced by 16 per cent. Those in the stress balls group had their anxiety reduced by 18 per cent, while they experienced 22 per cent less pain. Listening to music had no effect on anxiety or pain. ‘The use of simple distraction techniques can significantly improve patient experience,’ said study author Jane Ogden from the University of Surrey.
Plan to improve health care for men who have sex with men An action plan to address health inequalities affecting men who have sex with men began this week. The 18-month Public Health England (PHE) programme aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections, improve reporting of mental health problems and reduce levels of drinking, smoking and drug misuse. It will respond to the needs of this community and involve the NHS and private and third-sector organisations, said PHE director of health and wellbeing Kevin Fenton. Research shows that men who have sex with men are twice as likely as other men to experience anxiety and depression, and to depend on drugs and alcohol. It is also the group most affected by HIV. RCN diversity and equalities co-ordinator Wendy Irwin said: ‘Nurses and healthcare assistants are natural advocates for patients and can create the momentum needed to turn this situation around.’
A trust catering team that uses farm-assured meat and sustainably sourced fish has received an award for serving fresh and healthy food. The catering team at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded the Bronze Catering Mark under the Soil Association’s Food for Life scheme. Head of catering Emma Wilson said good food had multiple benefits for patients and staff. Nurses, parents and carers have been warned about the dangers of using bath seats with young children after a report found that they were involved in one in three accidental drowning deaths in children aged two and under. Public Health England warned not to leave babies unattended in the seats, which can tip over, following the report by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. School nurses from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust who developed a messaging service for 11-19 year olds have been shortlisted for two awards. Staff who designed ChatHealth, which allows young people to speak to a school nurse by text, are finalists in two categories of the Patient Experience Network National Awards. Midwives must be vigilant in monitoring and reporting female genital mutilation (FGM) to help prosecute perpetrators, according to Royal College of Midwives professional policy adviser Janet Fyle. Health & Social Care Information Centre figures show 2,146 active cases and 558 newly identified cases were reported nationally in December. Mandatory reporting of FGM, identifying women at risk and supporting survivors were needed to build a legal framework, she said. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is calling for evidence to support the development of safe staffing guidelines on inpatient mental health settings. NICE wants to hear from organisations that collect information on staffing levels and any evidence that could inform the guidelines. Go to tinyurl.com/qfnvu4l The health service ombudsman has revealed that more than one third of NHS investigations into allegations of avoidable harm or death were inadequate and failed to identify when something had gone wrong. Julie Mellor reviewed 150 complaints into care received in England and found 20 cases that should have been investigated, but were not. A full report is expected to be published later this year. Nurse staffing levels at Colchester General Hospital’s A&E department were unsafe and led to a high number of serious incidents with life-changing consequences for patients, according to a report by the Care Quality Commission published last week. Conditions have been placed on the trust’s registration. But the trust said the report had not recognised the pressure the hospital was under during the inspection or the improvements it had made over the past 12 months.
NURSING february 11other :: voluses 29 no 24 ::permission. 2015 11 DownloadedSTANDARD from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 30, 2015. For personal use only. No without Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
