An exploration of the practice, policy and legislative issues of the specialist area of nursing people with intellectual disability: A scoping review.

The specialist field of intellectual disability nursing has been subjected to a number of changes since the move towards deinstitutionalisation from the 1970s. Government policies sought to change the nature of the disability workforce from what was labelled as a medicalised approach, towards a more socially oriented model of support. Decades on however, many nurses who specialise in the care of people with intellectual disability are still employed. In Australia, the advent of the National Disability Insurance Scheme offers an apt moment to reflect upon these decades of specialised nursing care as the context of this nursing care will continue to evolve. A review of the published literature was conducted to explore what has shaped the field in the past and how this might inform the future of this speciality area under new policy and service contexts. People with intellectual disability have specific health and support needs that require a specialised workforce. Specialist nurses continue to be needed for people with intellectual disability.

Revisión de aspectos normativos y funcionales del personal de los Cuerpos Facultativo y de Enfermeros de Instituciones Penitenciarias / A review of the regulatory and functional aspects of prison health care and nursing staff

Con relación a los funcionarios sanitarios penitenciarios encuadrados en los Cuerpos Facultativo de Sanidad Penitenciaria y de Enfermeros de Instituciones Penitenciarias, este trabajo tiene dos objetivos. El primero, anotar el régimen jurídico aplicable a los mismos como funcionarios de la Administración General del Estado al servicio de las Instituciones Penitenciarias, destacando las peculiaridades de la regulación normativa aplicable por el hecho de prestar ese servicio. El segundo, con el trasfondo de las normas generales que sobre sanidad penitenciaria contiene la Ley Orgánica 1/1979, de 26 de septiembre, General Penitenciaria y su Reglamento de desarrollo, aprobado por Real Decreto 190/1996, de 9 de febrero, efectuar un análisis crítico del cuadro obligacional y funcional del personal facultativo y de enfermería establecido en el viejo Reglamento Penitenciario de 1981, para determinar si, desde un punto de vista jurídico, puede erigirse en obstáculo o freno para que la Administración Penitenciaria proceda al desarrollo y ejecución de las funciones que tiene atribuidas en materia de planificación, organización y dirección de las actividades tendentes al mantenimiento y mejora de la higiene y de la salud en el medio penitenciario (AU)

The aim of this study of prison health care staff in Prison Health Care and Nursing Units is twofold. The first one is to consider those aspects of the legal system applicable to them as government employees of the General State Administration at the service of Prisons, highlighting the peculiarities of the legal regulations that can be applied as a result of providing said service. The second, based on the general regulations on prison health contained in Organic Law 1/1979, of 26 September, General Penitentiary Law and the implementing regulations thereof, approved by Royal Decree 190/1966, of 9 February, sets out to provide a critical analysis of the obligatory and functional framework for health care and nursing staff established in the old Penitentiary Regulations of 1981, to determine from a legal perspective if it is possible to impede or brake so that the Prison Administration may develop or carry out the functions for which it is responsible in terms of planning, organization and management of activities geared towards maintaining and improving hygiene and health in the prison environment (AU)

[Current challenges of external quality assurance in the German healthcare system]. / Aktuelle Herausforderungen der externen Qualitätssicherung im deutschen Gesundheitswesen.

External quality assurance has three main aims: to make service provision in medicine and nursing comparable, to systematically identify deficits in service quality and to support the introduction of measures for quality improvement. This article reflects on three major developments in mandatory external quality assurance in the German healthcare system that took place during the last five years. These developments include the implementation of cross-sectoral quality assurance, the utilisation of new data sources and a new focus on quality deficits and practicability. The article highlights the challenges that come along with these developments.

Nursing and public policy: a tool for excellence in education, practice, and research.

Complex social and health policy issues face our nation and profession, and proactive participation in the public policy arena is a key to excellence in clinical practice, scholarship, and education for nursing. The purpose of this article is to reflect on the value of the nursing profession's public policy involvement. Specifically, a case example of the author's experiences as a nurse-legislator at the state level is provided. Public policy examples and political strategies are included. Being a part of the political arena or "game" is a key to shaping health policy and, in turn, a strategy for excellence in nursing.