Writing for publication: avoiding the common pitfalls

Sharing research findings has become an increasingly important part of research as nursing is increasing required to base practice on the best available evidence. This editorial offers an insight into some of the common pitfalls to avoid when writing and submitting a paper for publication

Applying for ethical approval for research: the main issues.

The need to obtain research ethical approval is common to all research involving human participants. This approval must be obtained before research participants can be approached and before data collection can begin. The process of ethical review is one way that research participants can be confident that possible risks have been considered, minimised and deemed acceptable. This article outlines some of the main issues researchers should consider when planning an application for research ethical approval by answering the following six questions: 'Do I need research ethical approval?', 'How many applications will I need to make?', 'Where should I apply for research ethical approval?', 'What do I need to include in my application?', 'What do research ethics committees look for?' and 'What other approvals might I need?' Answering these questions will enable researchers to navigate the ethical review process

Originality in doctoral research

ORIGINALITY IS a major ingredient of doctoral research in every discipline. Doctoral students are required to demonstrate how they have contributed new knowledge to their discipline and will use their doctoral theses and, in some countries, oral examinations to demonstrate originality to their examiners. If originality is not present, the doctorate cannot be awarded. In this edition of Nurse Researcher two authors consider originality in doctoral research from two very different perspectives

How do hospice nurses prepare to give end-of-life care? A grounded theory study of nurses in one UK hospice

Background: Literature for preparing hospice nurses to deliver end-of-life care is sparse. Aim: To investigate how nurses in one UK hospice prepared to deliver end-of-life care in their role. Methods: A classic grounded theory approach was used to investigate the experiences of 22 registered nurses in one UK hospice, to discover how they prepared for their role. A total of 17 individual interviews and one focus group were conducted. Constant comparison of data and member checking were performed to establish validity. Findings: Findings were synthesised into five categories: the 'shared ideal', feeling good at the job, making a difference, experience/exposure to hospice work and the importance of role models.The shared ideal formed the core category, which explained how hospice nurses feel a sense of 'fit' with their work. Conclusion: The feeling of a nurse feeling well-suited to the work and that there the work was a good 'fit' for them was identified as a core element to nurses' feelings of preparedness to provide end-of-life care

Resistance to CSF outflow depends upon duration of symptoms in patients with Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

The experiences of people with liver disease of palliative and end-of-life care in the United Kingdom – a systematic literature review and metasynthesis

Background Liver disease is a growing health concern and a major cause of death. It causes multiple symptoms, including financial, psychological and social issues. To address these challenges, palliative care can support people alongside active treatment, and towards the end of life, but little is known about the care experiences of individuals with liver disease in the United Kingdom. This review aimed to explore the palliative and end-of-life care experiences of people with liver disease in the United Kingdom. Method A systematic review was conducted using a five-stage process and following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses guidelines. Searches were across Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO and grey literature until 10 May 2023. The review was registered through International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). NVivo 12.5 was used to facilitate data analysis (systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42022382649). Results Of 6035 papers (excluding duplicates) found from searches, five met the inclusion criteria of primary research related to adults with liver disease receiving palliative and/or end-of-life care in the United Kingdom, published in English. Reflexive thematic analysis of the data was conducted. The themes identified were the experiences of people with liver disease of relating to healthcare professionals, using services, receiving support, and experiences of information and communication. These were connected by an overarching concept of disempowerment versus empowerment, with the notion of person-centred care as an important feature. Conclusion This review has found variations in the care experiences of people with advanced liver disease towards the end of life and an overall lack of access to specialist palliative care services. Where services are designed to be person-centred, experiences are more empowering. Further research is needed but with recognition that it is often unclear when care for people with liver disease is palliative or end-of-life. Patient and Public Contribution An online public involvement workshop was held on 18 April 2023 through Voice (2023). This included four people with liver disease and four carers to discuss the review findings and to design a qualitative research study to further explore the topic

Exercise Modes and their Association with Hypoglycaemia Episodes in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review

Objective: Type 1 diabetes mellitus rates are rising worldwide. Health benefits of physical exercise in this condition are many, but more than 60% do not participate, mainly from fear of hypoglycaemia. This systematic review explores effects of physical exercise modes on blood glucose levels in adults for hypoglycaemia prevention. Research Design and Methods: Predefined inclusion criteria were randomised or non-randomized crossover trials of healthy non-obese adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Exercise interventions used standardised protocols of intensity and timing. Outcomes included hypoglycaemia during or after exercise, and acute glycaemic control. Medline, CINAHL, AMED, SportDiscus, CENTRAL (1990–11/01/2018), Embase, (1988-09/04/2018) were searched using keywords and MeSH terms. Inclusions, data-extraction, and quality assessment using CASP checklists, were by one researcher and checked by a second. Meta-analysis used Revman (version 5.3) where four or more outcomes were reported. PROSPERO registration CRD42018068358. Results: From 5459 citations, we included 15 small crossover studies (3 non-randomised), 13 assessing aerobic (intermittent high-intensity exercise (IHE) versus continuous, or continuous versus rest) and 2 assessing resistance exercise versus rest. Study quality was good, and all outcome measures reported. Thirteen gave hypoglycaemia results, of which 5 had no episodes. Meta-analysis of hypoglycaemia during or after IHE compared to continuous exercise showed no significant differences (N=5,OR=0.68(95%CI0.16-2.86),I2=56%). For blood glucose there was little difference between groups at any time point. Conclusion: IHE may be safer than continuous exercise because of lesser decline in blood glucose, but more research needs to demonstrate if this would be reflected in hypoglycaemic episode rates

Ethical conduct of nursing research

Editoria