Proposed changes to the Mental Health Act of England and Wales: research indicating future educational and training needs for mental health nurses

Proposed changes to the Mental Health Act (MHA) legislation in England and Wales have been identified as having significant impact upon both mental health service delivery and professional roles. Key issues being identified for both service delivery and professionals are the creation of approved mental health professionals (AMHP), increased demand upon community services and a potential negative impact upon the therapeutic relationship. Mental health nurses in particular have expressed their concerns, through their professional bodies, regarding the impact of the proposed MHA changes upon the therapeutic relationship. The aim of this article is to present findings from recently conducted research that explores experiences and perceptions of approved social workers (ASWs) regarding the impact of invoking the MHA upon the therapeutic relationship. These findings inform wider mental health nursing practice of essential skills and knowledge to protect and potentially enhance the therapeutic relationship while invoking MHA legislation. A questionnaire was distributed to ASWs working within the Trent region. The questionnaire included both closed and open questions inviting respondents to expand upon their experiences with the brief initial findings being earlier published. Semi-structured interviews with eight invited respondents to develop their responses were undertaken enabling an approach that was both conversational and emergent

Effect of Music on Power, Pain, Depression and Disability

AIM: This paper reports a study testing the effect of music on power, pain, depression and disability, and comparing the effects of researcher-provided music (standard music) with subject-preferred music (patterning music). BACKGROUND: Chronic non-malignant pain is characterized by pain that persists in spite of traditional interventions. Previous studies have found music to be effective in decreasing pain and anxiety related to postoperative, procedural and cancer pain. However, the effect of music on power, pain, depression, and disability in working age adults with chronic non-malignant pain has not been investigated. METHOD: A randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out with a convenience sample of 60 African American and Caucasian people aged 21-65 years with chronic non-malignant pain. They were randomly assigned to a standard music group (n = 22), patterning music group (n = 18) or control group (n = 20). Pain was measured with the McGill Pain Questionnaire short form; depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression scale; disability was measured with the Pain Disability Index; and power was measured with the Power as Knowing Participation in Change Tool (version II). RESULTS: The music groups had more power and less pain, depression and disability than the control group, but there were no statistically significant differences between the two music interventions. The model predicting both a direct and indirect effect for music was supported. CONCLUSION: Nurses can teach patients how to use music to enhance the effects of analgesics, decrease pain, depression and disability, and promote feelings of power

Disconnect between sputum neutrophils and other measures of airway inflammation in asthma

No abstract available