Essential Clinical Skills for Nurses – serie

Pressure Area Care is an essential skill for nurses in every area of clinical practice. This beginner's guide assumes no prior knowledge and explores the causes of pressure ulcers, the practical skills needed to avoid them developing, and the clinical skills needed to manage them effectively when they do occur. Pressure Area Care will enable students and staff to provide effective management and care of pressure areas. It incorporates national guidelines to promote evidence based care, examines the optimal choice of pressure relieving devices and dressings, and explores the role of the nurse in planning, documenting and supervising care.

Stoma Care is a beginner's guide to stoma care, which will enable students and newly qualified staff in hospitals and in the community to provide effective care of patients with stomas and ensure continuity of care. It explores the rationale for stoma formation, immediate post-operative care, the choice of the most appropriate appliance, and long term management, exploring lifestyle changes including diet, the effects of chemotherapy on stoma care and the psychological impact of stoma formation.

Respiratory care is a beginner's guide to care of patients with respiratory illness. It contains evidence-based guidelines to enable students and newly qualified staff to develop the essential clinical skills needed to care for all patients with respiratory disease. Respiratory Care explores the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system, examines assessment of respiratory function, and addresses day-to-day management of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, lung cancer and respiratory infections including TB and pneumonia, in order to improve quality of life.

Nursing Medical Emergency Patients is a practical guide to the nursing care and management of patients with medical emergencies involving system failure. Following an initial chapter on assessment, the authors adopt a system-by-system approach, with an emphasis on the clinical features of medical emergencies, their assessment, diagnosis and treatment. Nursing Medical Emergency Patients is a vital resource for all nurses working with medical emergency patients, and provides an essential companion to both Monitoring the Critically Ill Patient and Treating the Critically Ill Patient. Accessible and reader friendlyIntegrates theory with practiceAdopts an evidence based approachIncludes chapter objectives, 'best practice' boxes and case studiesRefers to National guidelines and key initiatives e.g. outreach teamsIncludes legal and ethical issues

Assessement and management of pain is an integral aspect of patient care for nurses working in all health care settings. Pain management is a practical guide to current best practice, providing students and newly qualified nurses with the knowledge and skills required to care for a person experiencing or at risk of experiencing pain. Pain Management explores pain assessment, evaluation and therapeutic management and challenges nurses to reflect upon their practice in order to update and improve their clinical practice. It adopts a chronological approach, exploring the essential clinical skills required to effectively manage pain in all ages from the neonate to the older person. Case studies, algorithms and evidence encourage implementation of best practice throughout the book.

Infection prevention and control is an essential component of care, and an issue high on the agenda for both nurses and patients. This concise, accessible text provides students and newly qualified staff with an invaluable guide to the essential principles of infection prevention and control, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to provide safe and effective care. Infection Prevention and Control addresses key aspects of infection control in everyday practice, together with more specific considerations in particular aspects of care. It explores risk assessment, discusses how to prevent the spread of infection and control of specific and common infections. It looks at how infection can be managed in a wide variety of settings, including paediatric settings, critical care settings, and specialist care settings.to provide safe and effective care.

Treating the Critically Ill Patient is a practical guide to recognising and treating acutely ill patients at risk of further deterioration. It includes early warning scoring systems to identify patients at risk on the ward, identifies the key priorities for care, and equips students and newly qualified staff with the clinical skills necessary to prevent further deterioration and to provide prompt and effective care. Each chapter follows a standard layout, and includes bullet points and illustrations making this book an accessible and practical guide to critical care. Treating the Critically Ill Patient provides an essential companion to Monitoring the Critically Ill Patient. • Evidence-based guide to care of the critically ill patient• Includes step-by-step clinical guidelines and real-life scenarios• Identifies the key priorities for care

Venepuncture and cannulation are the most commonly performed invasive procedures in the UK, and are everyday procedures in health care practice. Venepuncture and Cannulation is a practical guide to these procedures. It assumes no prior knowledge and equips nurses and other health professionals with the clinical skills and knowledge they need in order to confidently perform venepuncture and cannulation in both hospital and community settings. Explores relevant anatomy and physiologyCovers education and training, as well as legal and ethical issuesConsiders potential complications, and patient perspectivesProvides guidance on the selection of the appropriate vein and equipment, and common blood tests

The often complex problems of the trauma patient present many challenges to front line emergency staff. Multiple injuries involving many systems of the body require careful and timely prioritisation and intervention in the emergency department. Trauma Care provides emergency nurses with a practical guide to the systematic assessment and management of trauma patients, equipping them with the clinical knowledge and practical skills necessary to initially assess and care for the trauma patient in the emergency department trauma environment. Trauma Care explores the concept of trauma assessment, focusing on patient priorities and interprofessional trauma team working. Individual chapters look at the essential assessment and management issues for each system of the body and specific age related complications. Emphasis is placed on key patient priorities, with acknowledgement to the common pitfalls in initial trauma care. This text will be essential for all emergency nurses, and those working in the emergency department.

Rapid Assessment of the Acutely Ill Patient sets out the principles and practices needed for early recognition and assessment of patients either at risk of or showing signs of acute  deterioration, or those recently relocated from higher levels of care. The focus is on patient assessment, interpretation and evaluation of data, immediate management of significant problems, ongoing and further assessments in order to improve clinical outcomes.Rapid Assessment of the Acutely Ill Patient provides a framework for a systematic initial patient assessment and explores principles of effective assessment. Body systems are considered in order of life-threatening priority following the ABCDE approach, dealing with the assessment and management of airway, breathing, circulation, disability - and everything else; covering topics such as visual, palpatory and auscultatory assessment, use of additional documented information (charts, notes etc), and interpreting diagnostic investigations. Methods to ensure effective communication and team-working are also discussed.Key features Part of the Essential Clinical Skills for Nurses seriesAimed at nurses working in wards and specialist departmentsExplores the assessment skills required for a rapid response to a patient at risk of becoming acutely unwellEnables students and practitioners to develop practical and interpretative skillsProvides a framework for assessment and principles of first line treatmentIncludes 'Look', 'Listen', 'Feel' and 'Measure' icons

The role and function of the nurse is rapidly changing, and nurses are now required to undertake a comprehensive clinical examination of patients, a responsibility traditionally undertaken by a doctor. Clinical Examination Skills is an accessible, introductory guide to helping nurses fulfil this role, enabling them to understand the core skills and knowledge needed to assess patients competently. This practice-based book will be invaluable to pre-registration nursing students and newly qualified nursing staff, empowering them to meet the challenges of autonomous practice.

ECGs for Nurses provides everything the nurse needs to know about the electrocardiogram. Accessible yet comprehensive, and packed with case studies, this portable guide enables nurses to become skilled practitioners in an area often seen as highly complex. Using real ECG traces as examples, possible effects on the patient and treatment options are discussed, with a focus on the role of the nurse. This fully illustrated second edition remains the essential reference guide for nurses working in all acute areas, as well as general nurses and students learning about ECGs for the first time. One of the only ECG texts written by a nurse specifically for nursesWritten by an expert in the fieldEasy-to-access information, full of practical adviceEssential for nurses working and studying in intensive care, high dependency units, theatre, theatre recovery coronary care units, medical wards and accident and emergency.Case studies and discussion of real ECGs throughout.New to this edition Fully updated throughout with up-to-date guidelines and proceduresIncludes new guidelines on management of cardiac arrest arrhythmiasCase studies added to all chapters

This is a practical, accessible guide for nurses on the management and care of the dying and deceased patient. It outlines the practicalities and legal issues associated with death, the principles of caring for a patient who is dying, and the principles of dealing with death, both expected and unexpected. Care of the Dying & Deceased Patient explores all the practical issues surrounding death, including symptom control, resuscitation, organ donation, how to break bad news, the last offices, cultural issues, post mortems and documentation issues. It also explores both the legal and ethical issues involved- including withholding/withdrawing treatment, assisted euthanasia, patient’s property, wills etc.SPECIAL FEATURES A practical guide to the management of the dying and deceased patientOf use to all nurses and nursing studentsAccessible and user-friendlyWritten by an expert in the field

Nursing the Cardiac Patient is a practical guide that addresses the management of cardiac patients across the spectrum of health care settings. It assists nurses in developing a complete understanding of the current evidence-based practice and principles underlying the care and management of the cardiac patient. It combines theoretical and practical components of cardiac care in an accessible and user-friendly format, with case studies and practical examples throughout.

Intravenous Therapy is a concise, accessible guide to the basic theory and practice of IV therapy. It focuses on elementary principles, avoiding more specialist practice, in order to enable students and newly qualified nurses to effectively manage patients undergoing IV treatment. · Contains essential information in an accessible form· Presents the evidence base for best practice· Focuses on safe practice and patient care, managing risk and avoiding complications· Includes guidelines on drug administration and handling, fluid and blood transfusions· Explores the advantages and disadvantages of venous access devices Other books in the ‘Essential Clinical Skills for Nurses’ series Monitoring the Critically Ill PatientP. Jevon and B. Ewens0 632 05803 X ECGs for NursesP. Jevon0 632 05802 1

Assessment and monitoring are fundamental aspects of the care of the acutely ill child, especially in high dependency areas and critical care units. Clinical Assessment and Monitoring in Children is a practical, introductory guide which provides detailed information on assessment and monitoring techniques, including physical assessment, physiological monitoring and an appraisal of additional assessment tools to enable practitioners to develop effective skills. The book adopts a physical systems approach, discusses assessment strategies and tools (starting with the least invasive and moving to the more complex) and examines how to analyse and apply the information to provide ongoing care. Each chapter explores physical assessment and examination whilst maintaining the focus on the child and the family. Clinical Assessment and Monitoring in Children assumes no prior knowledge, and provides the knowledge and skills needed to underpin decision-making and provide effective evidence-based care. This is an invaluable resource for all health care practitioners involved in caring for children. Key Features: • Explores assessment and monitoring of children from 0 – 16 years• Draws upon National Service Frameworks and clinical practice guidelines• Adopts a system by system approach• Provides knowledge and skills needed to underpin decision-making and provide effective evidence-based care• Includes hints on trouble-shooting and gaining the child and family’s co-operation• Includes case studies and suggested further reading