Healthcare experiences of people living with medically unexplained symptoms: a systematic review.

A diagnosis of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) is made when a person reports a complaint for which no organic disease can be detected. People with MUS commonly present to primary care services in the UK; however, there is no consensus regarding the evidence base for care. This literature review explores the experiences of these patients when they interact with health services. The following themes emerged: experience of diagnosis; expectations; communication; and healthful relationships. People with MUS report negative experiences of health care. Nurses in primary care have an opportunity to provide person-centred care to support these patients, and research could explore the potential contribution of nurses working in primary care in the UK to support them and enhance the evidence base for practice.

Lessons learnt from a community-driven digital social connection pilot program for people living with dementia: A qualitative interview study with key stakeholders.

INTRODUCTION: In response to COVID-19 and mandated physical distancing, a new digital social connection program was developed and implemented by the local community in a large regional town in western Victoria, Australia. This pilot program, the Digital Inclusion-Social Connections (DI-SC) program, aimed to support people living with dementia to use a digital device to access social connection activities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to inform the local community implementing the DI-SC program of key stakeholder experience of DI-SC process and outcomes to support future development and potential translation of digital social connections programs for people living with dementia. DESIGN: Three semi-structured focus groups and two interviews were conducted with a total of fifteen participants. Data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. FINDINGS: Three main themes were identified describing factors as influencing the process and outcomes of the DI-SC program: understanding dementia; personal choice and control; and service planning and coordination. Six sub-themes were identified: matching capability; establishing a relationship; creating opportunities for different interactions; ownership of the device, program coordination and defining the volunteer digital mentor role. CONCLUSION: Key stakeholders perceived the DI-SC program as an acceptable way of supporting people living with dementia to engage in activities they found enjoyable promoting social connection with care partners and others. DI-SC program outcomes were impacted by inappropriate training and a lack of program coordination. The findings of this study may inform future development and implementation of digital social connection programs for vulnerable populations at risk of social isolation.

Best-practice recommendations to inform general practice nurses in the provision of dementia care: a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, responsibility for dementia diagnosis and management is shifting to primary care, in particular to the general practitioner (GP). It has been acknowledged that primary care nurses, working collaboratively with GPs, have a role in dementia care by utilising their unique knowledge and skills. However, there are no best-practice guidelines or care pathways to inform nurses in general practice on what best-practice dementia care comprises and how to implement this into their practice. This study identified the recommendations in the Australian guidelines for dementia management most relevant to the role of the nurse working in general practice. METHODS: Seventeen experts active in clinical practice and/or research in primary care nursing in general practice participated in an online three-round Delphi study. RESULTS: All 17 participants were female with a nursing qualification and experienced in general practice clinical nursing and/or general practice nursing research. Five recommendations were identified as the most relevant to the role of the nurse in general practice. These recommendations all contained elements of person-centred care: the delivery of individualised information, ongoing support, including the carer in decision-making, and they also align with the areas where GPs want support in dementia care provision. CONCLUSION: This novel study identified best-practice dementia care recommendations specific to nurses in general practice. These recommendations will inform a model of care for nurses in the provision of dementia care that supports GPs and better meets the needs of people living with dementia and their carer(s).

The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role.

BACKGROUND: Primary care nurses can assist General Practitioner's to identify cognition concerns and support patient health self-management for those experiencing cognitive impairment or dementia. This support may lead to more appropriate care and better health outcomes for this group. Consequently, there is a need to identify the role of the primary care nurse in dementia care provision, nurse perceptions of this role and to also understand the barriers and enablers that may influence any current or potential primary care nurse role in dementia care provision. METHODS: Eight focus groups were conducted with a total of 36 primary care nurses. Data was transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS: There was a high level of agreement between primary care nurses that they had a role in provision of dementia care. This role was largely attributed to the strong therapeutic relationship between nurses and patients. However, dementia care provision was not without its challenges, including a perceived lack of knowledge, limited resources and the hierarchical nature of general practice. Three main themes were identified: personal attributes of the primary care nurse; professional attributes of the primary care nurse role and the context of practice. Six sub-themes were identified: knowing the person; overcoming stigma; providing holistic care; knowing what to do; team culture and working in the system. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest primary care nurses have a role in dementia care provision and, there is a need to provide support for the nurse to deliver person-centred health care in the context of cognitive impairment. As the demand for good quality primary care for people living with dementia increases, the role of the primary care nurse should be considered in primary care policy discussions. The knowledge gained from this study could be useful in informing dementia training content, to provide better prompts in the health assessment and care planning templates used by primary care nurses to better identify the care needs of people with a cognitive impairment and to develop dementia care guidelines for primary care nurses.

Clinical practice guidelines and principles of care for people with dementia: a protocol for undertaking a Delphi technique to identify the recommendations relevant to primary care nurses in the delivery of person-centred dementia care.

INTRODUCTION: Nationally and internationally it is well recognised that dementia is poorly recognised and suboptimally managed in the primary care setting. There are multiple and complex reasons for this gap in care, including a lack of knowledge, high care demands and inadequate time for the general practitioner alone to manage dementia with its multiple physical, psychological and social dimensions. The primary care nurse potentially has a role in assisting the general practitioner in the provision of evidence-based dementia care. Although dementia-care guidelines for general practitioners exist, evidence on resources to support the primary care nurse in dementia care provision is scarce. The 'Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia' provides 109 recommendations for the diagnosis and management of dementia. This protocol describes a Delphi study to identify which of the 109 recommendations contained in these multidisciplinary guidelines are relevant to the primary care nurse in the delivery of person-centred dementia care in the general practice setting. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Using a Delphi consensus online survey, an expert panel will grade each of the recommendations written in the 'Clinical Practice Guidelines and Principles of Care for People with Dementia' as high-to-low relevance with respect to the role of the primary care nurse in general practice. To optimise reliability of results, quality indicators will be used in the data collection and reporting of the study. Invited panel members will include Australian primary care nurses working in general practice, primary care nursing researchers and representatives of the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association, the peak professional body for nurses working in primary healthcare. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by The University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) (H-2019-0029).Findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at scientific conferences.

What is the role of the practice nurse in the care of people living with dementia, or cognitive impairment, and their support person(s)?: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The potential value of expanding the Practice Nurse role to include the recognition and management of dementia has been acknowledged. Practice Nurses are well-positioned to provide comprehensive dementia information and support so that people living with dementia are better equipped to self-manage their health and live well with dementia. The purpose of this review was to systematically examine published literature to identify existing and potential roles of Practice Nurse's in the delivery of care to people affected by dementia and to describe the characteristics and effectiveness of nurse interventions in dementia models of care. METHODS: The PRISMA statement guided the systematic review of the quantitative and qualitative evidence for roles and characteristics of the Practice Nurse in the delivery of dementia care. A comprehensive literature search of seven electronic databases and Google scholar identified relevant original research published in English between January 2000 and January 2019. Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were extracted into the Covidence software for analysis. RESULTS: The heterogeneity of the included studies purpose, design and outcomes measures and the diversity in health systems and primary care nurses scope of practice made it difficult to synthesise the findings and draw conclusions. The heterogeneity did, however, provide important insights into the characteristics of roles undertaken by nurses working in the general practice setting, which were potentially beneficial to people living with dementia and their support person. These included patient accessibility to the Practice Nurse, early recognition and management of cognitive changes, care management and collaboration with the General Practitioner. Limitations of the provision of dementia care by Practice Nurses included a lack of definition of the role, inadequate dementia specific training, time constraints and poor communication with General Practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: Embedding an evidence-based model that describes the role of the Practice Nurse in dementia care provision has the potential to increase early recognition of cognitive impairment and more appropriate primary care management of dementia. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018088191.

Developing facilitation skills amongst undergraduate nursing students to promote dementia awareness with children in a higher education institution (innovative practice).

Final year students on a BSc Hons Nursing programme in Scotland were supported to become Dementia Friends facilitators and develop interactive dementia awareness sessions for children from local schools. The children were invited to indicate phrases and images they associated with 'dementia' at the outset and end of the session. Analysis of the responses suggested that there were positive changes in the children's values and beliefs when thinking about a person living with dementia during the sessions. We suggest that peer learning is a valuable strategy to increase public and professional awareness about dementia and supports the development of graduate attributes.

Caring for people with multiple sclerosis who use cannabis for symptom control.

Research suggests that a large proportion of people living with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are using cannabis to self-manage symptoms, or at least believe there are potential benefits in using this drug. Since community nurses are frontline caregivers, they are likely to encounter PwMS who use cannabis within the home setting. The literature base surrounding this topic is largely driven by quantitative research examining the effectiveness of cannabis as a medicine. This review found that qualitative research exploring the experiences of PwMS who use cannabis is lacking worldwide and is completely absent within UK nursing literature. PwMS using cannabis may not feel safe discussing this with health professionals, as they might fear being judged. This literature review discusses how people perceive the effectiveness of cannabis in helping symptoms associated with MS, while also considering the stigma and legal concerns people face. This review may help community nurses inform their practice and enhance person-centred relationships between them and PwMS.

Learning to deal with crisis in the home: Part 2 - preparing preregistration students.

The global shift of health care is from acute services to community and primary care. Therefore, registrants must be prepared to work effectively within diverse settings. This article is the second in a series discussing the preparation of nurses for contemporary health-care challenges in the community. In it, we outline the design, implementation, and evaluation of simulated emergency scenarios within an honours degree-level, pre-registration nursing curriculum in Scotland. Over 3 years, 99 final-year students participated in interactive sessions focusing on recognition and management of the deteriorating patient and emergency care. Clinical scenarios were designed and delivered collaboratively with community practitioners. Debriefing challenged the students to reflect on learning and transferability of skills of clinical reasoning and care management to the community context. Students considered the scenarios to be realistic and perceived that their confidence had increased. Development of such simulation exercises is worthy of further debate in education and practice.

Learning to deal with crisis in the home: Part 1--developing community simulation scenarios.

Contemporary health care is increasingly being located in the community. From the evident changes in demographics and general health, it can be derived that the people whom student nurses care for are likely to have multiple comorbidities and be vulnerable to clinical deterioration. These nurses are required to develop a range of transferrable skills to meet the demands of the population. The challenge for educators of preregistration student nurses is to develop educational strategies to prepare them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to recognise and manage deterioration appropriately in any context. This article is the first of two papers discussing the stimulus, design, and delivery of an educational innovation that focuses on the recognition and management of the deteriorating patient. The article explores current literature about community-focused simulation highlighting the potential learning opportunities resulting from contextualising simulation scenarios specific to the community setting.

Healthcare and medical graduates of 2009: their reactions to four key proposals in the Scottish Government's strategy for tackling alcohol misuse.

AIMS: This study compares the views of final year medical, and nursing and allied health professional (NAHP) students in relation to four governmental proposals impacting on the sale and purchase of alcohol. METHODS: Against a background of political will to address alcohol abuse in Scotland and moves within the National Health Service promoting a shifting of professional roles, self-completed questionnaires were administered in spring 2009 through course websites and lectures to final year medical and NAHP students. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 406 NAHPs and 121 medical students. Over three quarters of all students agreed with the proposed change to reduce the drink driving limit to 50 mg/100 ml blood. Less support was evident for the raising of the minimum legal purchase age for off-sales (37%), the banning of below cost price promotions of alcohol (47%) and minimum retail pricing (37%). However, there were differences between the NAHP and medical students in the case of the final two proposals; over 60% of the medical students agreed they would have a positive impact. For NAHPs, figures were 41% and 31%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Support for four key proposals outlined by the Scottish Government to address alcohol misuse varied. Only the suggestion to lower the drink driving limit received backing overall and within students in these professions. Effectiveness of proposed restrictions on the price of alcohol was less well regarded except by medical students. Evident gaps in knowledge around health guidelines, and the finding that almost half of NAHPs disagreed that they had the appropriate knowledge to advise patients about responsible drinking advice and alcohol misuse problems, suggest a need for improved undergraduate education and continued professional development with respect to public health aspects of alcohol use.

Characterization of wound-responsive RNA-binding proteins and their splice variants in Arabidopsis.

We report the characterization of three UBA2 genes (UBA2a, -b, and -c; corresponding to At3g56860, At2g41060, and At3g15010) encoding Arabidopsis thaliana proteins with high homology to Vicia faba AKIP1 and other heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP)-type RNA-binding proteins. In vitro RNA binding assays revealed that the three UBA2 proteins interact efficiently with homoribopolymers. Biolistic transient expression of UBA2-GFPs demonstrated that the three UBA2 proteins localize to the nucleus. Expression analysis by RNA gel blot, RT-PCR, and promoter::GUS assays showed that UBA2 transcripts are present in all organs. UBA2 genes are subject to alternative splicing affecting only the 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs): six different splice variants were detected for UBA2a, and two each were found for UBA2b and UBA2c. RT-PCR and quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that the levels of UBA2 transcripts are regulated by wounding in a splice variant-specific manner: splice variants UBA2a.1 and UBA2c.1 increased following mechanical wounding. Wounding effects on gene expression are transduced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-dependent and oligogalacturonide (OGA)-dependent pathways. However, neither MeJA nor OGA treatment altered levels of any of the UBA2 transcripts, and other plant hormones implicated in wound responses, ethylene and abscisic acid (ABA), also had no effect on accumulation of UBA2 transcripts. Taken together, these results imply that the three UBA2 genes encode hnRNP-type nuclear RNA-binding proteins that function in a novel wound signal transduction pathway.

Effects of international football matches on ambulance call profiles and volumes during the 2006 World Cup.

BACKGROUND: Prompt ambulance attendance is aimed at improving patient care. With finite resources struggling to meet performance targets, unforeseen demand precludes the ability to tailor resources to cope with increased call volumes, and can have a marked detrimental effect on performance and hence patient care. The effects of the 2006 World Cup football matches on call volumes and profiles were analysed to understand how public events can influence demands on the ambulance service. METHODS: All emergency calls to the Hampshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (currently the Hampshire Division of South Central Ambulance Service, Winchester, UK) during the first weekend of the 2006 World Cup football matches were analysed by call volume and classification of call (call type). RESULTS: On the day of the first football match, call volume was over 50% higher than that on a typical Saturday, with distinct peaks before and after the inaugural match. Call profile analysis showed increases in alcohol-related emergencies, including collapse, unconsciousness, assault and road traffic accidents. The increase in assaults was particularly marked at the end of each match and increased again into the late evening. CONCLUSION: A detailed mapping of call volumes and profiles during the World Cup football shows a significant increase in overall emergency calls, mostly alcohol related. Mapping of limited resources to these patterns will allow improved responses to emergency calls.