Head lice.

INTRODUCTION: Head louse infection is diagnosed by finding live lice, as eggs take 7 days to hatch (but a few may take longer, up to 13 days) and may appear viable for weeks after death of the egg. Infestation may be more likely in school children, with risks increased in children with more siblings or of lower socioeconomic group. Factors such as longer hair make diagnosis and treatment more difficult. METHODS AND OUTCOMES: We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of physically acting treatments for head lice? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to March 2014 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). RESULTS: We found six studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions. CONCLUSIONS: In this systematic review, we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: 1,2-octanediol, dimeticone, herbal and essential oils, and isopropyl myristate.

The Safe Clinical Assessment: a patient safety focused approach to clinical assessment.

Medical consultations are complex and multi-faceted, requiring that nurses develop a sound knowledge and skill base in a wide variety of different areas, from communication skills to clinical reasoning and from physical assessment skills to prescription writing. Clinical assessment is an integral part of the medical consultation process, although it is often taught as a stand-alone module in nurse education programmes, such that nurses at different levels in their training will learn these skills. This article describes how patient safety skills and practices can be incorporated into clinical assessment teaching for nurses at all levels of training but especially within training programmes for Emergency Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Practitioners and for nurses involved in the assessment and management of patients with minor illnesses.