All preregistration students should develop skills in learning disabilities

In the light of ongoing service developments and government legislation it is important that preregistration nurses from all branches have the opportunity to develop their confidence and skills in the care of people who have learning disabilities. This article outlines the development of strategies employed by one institute of higher education in order to reflect the principles of Valuing People from a health perspective in non-learning disability nursing programmes. The particular challenges that have been encountered in the implementation of these strategies over the last 3 years are discussed, as are issues faced in the evaluation of the effectiveness of such strategies. </jats:p

A pilot study of the effectiveness of reflexology in treating idiopathic constipation in women

Objectives Constipation is a common problem in the UK, affecting up to 20% of the population. Reflexologists claim that reflexology can be beneficial in the treatment of constipation. The aim of this exploratory pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of reflexology in treating idiopathic constipation in women and it is the first study of the effectiveness of reflexology for the treatment of women with idiopathic constipation defined according to Rome II criteria. Methods Nineteen female patients referred to a specialist biofeedback service with idiopathic constipation defined by Rome II criteria were recruited. A course of reflexology treatment (weekly for six weeks) was given. Patients' subjective perception of constipation was recorded as well as the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), the Short form 36 (SF36), whole gut transit and the Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) before and after the intervention. Results All participants completed the intervention and none were lost to follow-up. Ninety-four percent of participants identified their constipation to be improved to some extent. Ten participants had improved colonic transit times and two patients had normalised colonic transit. Ten patients (53%, p = 0.19) demonstrated an improved anxiety score and 11 participants (58%, p = 0.14) demonstrated an improved depression score on the HAD scales. Improvement was seen in general health, mental health and vitality on the SF36 scale, with vitality improving significantly (p < 0.05). Sixty-three percent of participants had a more positive attitude (p = 0.03) towards CAM and holistic health following treatment. Conclusions This study shows that in this sample reflexology has potential benefit for treating idiopathic constipation in women. Further randomised trials are required

An innovative strategy to increase a professional workforce:The fast track initiative for health visitors in England

Objectives Fast tracking is one strategy that organizations use to ameliorate workforce shortfalls by attracting new recruits, and accelerating their skills development and experience. In response to the Government’s target of rapidly expanding the number of health visitors in England’s National Health Service, the fast track initiative was launched to recruit newly qualified (fast track) as well as experienced (standard entry) nurses and midwives onto health visiting programmes. This paper evaluates the fast track initiative, from the perspective of fast track and standard entry students, practice teachers and health visitor managers. Methods A mixed methods design was used comprising a questionnaire survey (n = 71 students), semi-structured interviews (n = 37 students), telephone interviews (n = 13 managers) and six focus groups (n = 24 practice teachers). Data were collected between April 2012 and July 2013. Descriptive statistics, t-tests and the Pearson Chi-square test were used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analysed thematically. Results Motivations for health visiting as a career choice were similar for fast track and standard entry students, with career progression and interest in health promotion being key motivators. There was consensus that personal qualities and characteristics were more important than experience or qualifications. However, fast track students were significantly less confident about their public health competencies in leadership and management (p &lt; 0.05) and communication (p &lt; 0.02). Practice teachers and managers also reported that fast track students required more intensive supervision particularly at the beginning of the programme. Programme completion including pass rates and academic achievement showed no significant difference by route of entry (p &gt; 0.5). Conclusion Fast tracking offers a useful recruitment strategy in order to expand the health visitor workforce, but longitudinal research is needed to confirm benefits such as retention and career trajectories. </jats:sec

Job satisfaction among hospital nurses revisited: A systematic review

Background: The current nursing shortage and high turnover is of great concern in many countries because of its impact upon the efficiency and effectiveness of any healthcare delivery system. Recruitment and retention of nurses are persistent problems associated with job satisfaction. Objective: To update review paper published in 2005. Design: This paper analyses 100 papers relating to job satisfaction among hospital nurses derived from systematic searches of seven databases covering English and Chinese language publications 1966-2011 (updating the original paper with 46 additional studies published 2004-2011). Findings: Despite varying levels of job satisfaction across studies, sources and effects of job satisfaction were similar. Hospital nurse job satisfaction is closely related to working conditions and the organizational environment, job stress, role conflict and ambiguity, role perception and role content, organizational and professional commitment. Conclusions: More research is required to understand the relative importance of the many identified factors relating to job satisfaction of hospital nurses. It is argued that the absence of a robust causal model reflecting moderators or moderator is undermining the development of interventions to improve nurse retention. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000307906100011&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701NursingSCI(E)PubMedSSCI87REVIEW81017-10384