Caring for children – ‘24-7’: The experience of WellChild Nurses and the families for whom they are providing care and support

© The Author(s) 2018There is a growing population of children with complex health needs and disabilities who are being cared for at home by their parents 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Community Children’s Nursing Teams are a major source of support to these children. In 2006, the charity WellChild introduced the first WellChild Nurse (WCN) post specifically focused upon this group of children. In order to gain insight into how the WCN model was supporting this group of children throughout the 24-hour day, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 12 WCNs and 10 parents of children with a range of long-term clinical care needs. Analysis of the interviews from both groups of study participants revealed complex patterns of decision-making by parents when seeking support and advice particularly ‘out of hours’. This related to four key questions: ‘Why call?’, ‘When to call?’, ‘Who to call?’ and ‘How to call?’. Parents identified how, as a result of the support provided by the WCNs, they are able to draw upon a range of decision-making skills and algorithms that enhance their ability to troubleshoot both clinical and non-clinical problems throughout the 24-hour day.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Delivering effective nursing care to children and young people outside of a hospital setting

This report may be reproduced for the purposes of private research and study; in addition, excerpts may be included in professional journals or conference presentations as long as acknowledgement is given and there is no association with advertisingOver the course of the last fifty years, there has been a reduction of approximately 75 per cent in the total number of children’s hospital beds in the United Kingdom [UK]; at the same time, there has been an increase in the amount and range of care now being provided in other environments that are located within outside of hospital settings. This shift in terms of the location and provision of care has meant that there has been an impact on the preparation and training that healthcare staff require. The Health Outcomes Forum specifically recommended: “That HEE [Health Education England] address the workforce education, training and development requirements (including capacity and capability) to refocus service provision at home or closer to home” (Department of Health, 2012: 52). This scoping project was financed and commissioned by Health Education North Central and East London Local Education and Training Board [HE NCEL LETB] in January 2014 and was undertaken by the University of Hertfordshire between February 2014 - August 2014. The project was funded to facilitate the consideration of the educational needs of the nursing workforce in relation to out of hospital care for children and young people, thus enabling the future potential development of out of hospital services to meet the health needs of the children and young people living in the HE NCEL geographical are

Effective nursing care of children and young people outside hospital

THIS ARTICLE presents an exploratory study that was financed and commissioned by Health Education, North Central and East London (NCEL), and the local education and training board (LETB); it was undertaken by the University of Hertfordshire between February and August 2014. The research was funded to explore the educational needs of the nursing workforce in relation to out-of-hospital care for children and young people in the UK. The data will be used to inform the development of service provision. Read More: http://journals.rcni.com/doi/10.7748/ncyp.27.5.28.e610 Open Access with Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0). Copyright © 2017 RCN Publishing Company Ltd.Aim To assess the preparation required to ensure a workforce of nurses who can provide high quality out-of-hospital services for children and young people. Methods Using mixed methods, questionnaires were sent to young people and community children’s nursing teams, interviews were conducted with academic staff and clinical nurses, and focus groups were undertaken with pre-registration children’s nursing students. Findings Nurses’ communication skills and clinical abilities were most important to young people. There is a range of opinions about optimum out-of-hospital clinical experience. Pre- and post-qualification education and recruitment in this area, therefore, need attention. Conclusion Out-of-hospital care presents problems, but is developing rapidly. Adequate, updated training, supervision and resources are needed.Peer reviewe

Correlation Between Pluripotent Stem Cell Markers and microRNA Expression in Dental Pulp Stem Cells

In human development there are many factors that cause our cells to form certain organs and systems with specific functions. These cells original start as stem cells before biological processes take over and cause differentiation into different cell lines. Since these undifferentiated stem cells have been discovered, many studies have been done to try and find the exact mechanism that causes a cell to change into another specific cell. Due to the multiple sources that stem cells can be harvest from the human body, this knowledge of how differentiation works could lead to breakthroughs in regenerative medicine. Traditional biomarkers have been the focus of much research in identifying characteristics of stem cells. Biomarkers include Oct-4, Sox-2, NANOG, and Nestin. The aforementioned biomarkers have been shown to identify stem cells that have pluripotent properties with potential to differentiate. MicroRNA (miRNA) are small nucleotide chains that have been the topic of research in recent years. These chains have been shown to be involved in affecting gene expression and silencing. This fact has led to further studies to try and identify miRNA’s relationship with stem cell’s potential for differentiation. The data for the following two studies provide evidence of the existence of certain miRNAs in a unique source of stem cells, specifically dental pulp stem cells (DPSC). The miRNA molecules investigated in these DPSCs include miR-16, miR-27, miR-124, miR-135, and miR-218. Evidence suggests the presence of specific miRNA in certain DPSC lines which include miR-16, miR-27, miR-124 and miR-218. With differential expression of miR-27, miR- 124 and miR-218 in our different DPSC lines, evidence suggest these miRNA may impact the cells potential for differentiation. Furthermore, these miRNA molecules were cross-referenced with the expression of certain characteristics of these DPSC line. Characteristics include the presence of biomarkers Oct-4, Sox-2, NANOG and Nestin. In addition, we also looked at their relation to the DPSC lines viability and proliferation rates. Our results have shown that biomarkers Oct-4, Sox-2 and Nanog correlated more with total live cell count whereas miRNAs miR-27, miR218, miR-124 and miR- 16 were more closely related to cellular viability. Further research will be needed to more fully understand the relationship

Children's palliative care : Examination of a nursing rotation programme

Publisher Copyright: © 2021 MA Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved.Background: An 8-month rotation programme was implemented for five nurses employed in two kinds of children's palliative care environments: Hospital wards and hospices. This study reports the views of the nurses completing the rotation. The research drew on appreciative inquiry and involved a pre- and post-rotation interview and questionnaire. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed seven themes: Adjusting to the rotation programme; support mechanisms; being safe; new knowledge and skills; knowledge exchange; misconceptions; future plans. These were supported by the questionnaire findings. Although the nurses identified some frustration at having to undertake competency assessments relating to previously acquired skills, as well as being out of their 'comfort zone', all the participants highly recommended the programme. They commented very positively on the support they received and the overall learning experience as well as the new insight into different aspects of care. In addition, they were able to share their newfound knowledge and expertise with others.Peer reviewe

Factors influencing nurse retention within children’s palliative care

© 2020 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493520971426Retention of staff presents major challenges within children’s palliative care; this has substantial implications for children, families and the nursing workforce. To address this, a programme was undertaken that provided pathways of professional development for senior nurses working in this field. This study reports the views of nurses completing this programme, the overall project manager (PM) and the day-to-day programme lead (PL) as well as factors that influence nurse retention within children’s palliative care nursing. The study drew on an Appreciative Inquiry approach that comprised of interviews with the PM and PL as well as focus groups and questionnaires with senior nurses from the children’s palliative care sector, who participated in the training programme. Thematic analysis of data from interviews and focus groups revealed factors influencing nurse retention: speciality, positivity and making a difference, support, provision of adequate resources, tailored education/professional development and resilience. These themes were supported by the questionnaire findings. The programme was perceived as having a positive influence on nurse retention within the children’s palliative care workforce. In addition, it was felt to be very beneficial in terms of shared learning and development. Participants highlighted the need for similar opportunities in the future.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Measurement of cruelty in children: The Cruelty to Animals Inventory

Cruelty to animals may be a particularly pernicious aspect of problematic child development. Progress in understanding the development of the problem is limited due to the complex nature of cruelty as a construct, and limitations with current assessment measures. The Children and Animals Inventory (CAI) was developed as a brief self- and parent-report measure of F. R. Ascione''s (1993) 9 parameters of cruelty. The CAI emerged as a reliable, stable, and readily utilized measure of cruelty using parent and child reports. Children (especially the older children) reported higher rates of cruelty than their parents and boys reported more cruelty than girls. Self- and parent-reports showed good convergence with independent observations of cruelty versus nurturance during free interactions with domestic animals. The results indicate that cruelty to animals can be reliably measured using brief child and parent report measures

Control of carbon content in WC-Co hardmetal by heat treatment in reducing atmospheres containing methane.

Pressed WC-Co hardmetal compacts of two different compositions, 6 and 10 wt.% Co, were heat treated under flowing atmospheres of nitrogen, hydrogen and methane at temperatures from 500 to 900 °C prior to sintering under argon. Microstructural examination showed excessive carburisation up to 2.5 mm into the compacts with regions most exposed to heat treatment atmospheres showing greatest carburisation. η-phase was present in the 6 wt.% Co samples heat treated at low temperatures without methane but was not present with heat treatment temperatures of 700 °C or above with methane present. The hardness of both materials was significantly lower in highly carburised regions, highlighting the need for careful control of heat treatment parameters