Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1993, 18, 1857-1859

NEWS

SHARING NURSING LITERATURE WORLDWIDE

Dr Mary Lou Moore RNC PhD FAAN, Department of Obstetrics and Gynae- cology, Wake Forest University Medical Centre, Winston Salem, North Carolina 27103, USA, convened a special meeting during the ICN Quadrennial Congress in Madrid, Spain to invite discussion on facilitating the use, distribution and translation of nursing journals and text- books.

Particular concern was expressed at the dearth of literature available in some developing countries and countries of Eastern Europe, especially in the former USSR.

A number of p r o b l e m s - and poss- ible so lu t i ons - were identified. These have been collated by Dr Mary Lou Moore. If any readers of this journal have any other views or surplus litera- hare that might be donated to a needy nursing library, please contact Dr Moore.

NURSING A N D AIDS

According to recent research findings, nurse educators teaching about HIV and AIDS generally use a variety of teaching materials, but some find it hard to keep the content of their teaching up to date with the rapid changes in knowledge about the disease. Nurse educators would welcome more information on the impact of the disease on different sec- tions of the population, such as women, children and people from different cul- tural communities.

Almost all the nurses who had taken part in HIV/AIDS training said they had found it useful, although a quarter would have liked more information on the prac- tical aspects of nursing someone with the disease. Over two-thirds of the 48 nurses interviewed said that, in their experience, nurses were not adopting recommended infection control procedures for all patients.

The research was carried out by NFER (National Foundation for Educational Research) and was funded by the Depart- ment of Health. It took place from April 1992 to March 1993. It was carried out in six English Regional Health Auth- orities and entailed detailed face-to-face interviews with 10 RHA representatives, 51 nurse educators and 48 nurses who had recently attended HIV/AIDS train- ing, including students and qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors.

A report of this research and an executive summary are available from NFER, The Mere, Upton Park, Slough, Berkshire SL1 2DQ, England, price £7.00 and £2.50 respectively.

ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS ELECTS FIRST W O M A N PRESIDENT

For the first time in 150 years of British psychiatry, the Royal College of Psy- chiatrists has elected a woman as president. Dr Fiona Caldicott, a consult- ant psychiatrist working for South Birmingham Health Authority, England, has been elected.

A specialist in psychotherapy, Dr Caldicott has a keen interest in standards of training and services in all branches of psychiatry. She is also a strong supporter of opportunities for women in medicine. She was elected dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 1990 and has been responsible for all education and training activities, including the MRCPsych examination.

THE LESSONS FROM COMPLAINTS SHOULD BE MORE WIDELY HEEDED SAYS NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE O M B U D S M A N

There was a further rise, to a record level of 1227, in the number of complaints

received by the British Health Service commissioner (ombudsman) in 1992/93 and an increase in the proportion of complaints accepted for investigation. The ombudsman, Mr William Reid, con- siders that patients are now better in- formed about how to complain and some are less ready to accept the outcome of a local health authority's investigation. Complaints about the actions of doctors and nurses dropped back from 65% in 1991/92 to the level (57%) seen the year before.

Mr Reid has expressed disappoint- ment that some NHS authorities pay insufficient heed to the lessons to be learned from the reports he publishes of how complaints have been handled. His annual report for 1992-1993 contains many examples of complaints. Poor com- munications and poor record keeping are recurring themes.

LANCASHIRE COLLEGE EMBARKS ON TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

In common with an increasing number of commercial and industrial organizations that are seeking to improve customer service and enhance competitive pos- itioning, the Lancashire College of Nurs- ing and Health Studies has embarked upon a total quality management (TQM) programme. Lancashire College provides a service to seven health districts/trusts in England and the TQM initiative will cover all of its campus sites, in Preston, Blackburn, Blackpool, Bumley, Ormskirk and Wigan, involving each and every member of the college's 200 teaching, administration and support staff. As an integral part of the programme, a formal quality system will be developed and put into place, with a view to gaining BS 5750/ISO 9000 accreditation next year.

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Further enquiries can be made to Lancashire College of Nursing and Health Studies, District Headquarters, Wafting Street Road, Preston PR2 4DX, England. Telephone: (0772) 711 722.

NEW STUDY ESTIMATES S O C I O - E C O N O M I C COSTS OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE TO BE OVER £ 1 0 0 0 MILLION

Recently published findings by the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, Wolf son College, Oxford, England, have shown that the cost of caring for people with Alzheimer's disease in England amounted to around £1039 million in 1990/91, confirming that the condition is a major area of care expenditure.

Elderly people aged 75 and over were shown to account for nearly 94% of this amount. The study, published in Health Trends (vol. 25, no. 1, 1993), estimates the socio-economic costs, both direct and indirect, of Alzheimer's disease in England by considering all the main indices of burden: mortality and life years lost; days spent in hospital; out- patient referrals; general practitioner con- sultations; both residential and home care services; government payments to informal corers for services provided.

A breakdown of the cost into type of service provided shows that the majority of expenditure is attributed to institu- tional rather than community care, with 65% of the total cost arising from resi- dential or nursing home care, and a further 25% from hospital-based care. When the cost is analysed by service provider, it shows that private and voluntary sectors spend almost £430 million annually, local authorities spend £275 million and the NHS allocates £266 million annually. Two-thirds of the NHS services are provided by mental hospitals, and the remaining third by acute and geriatric hospitals.

The total cost figure underestimates the informal care provided by relatives and friends, and it only takes into ac- count those who receive payments for their services, rather than calculating the total equivalent cost of unpaid c a r e .

OLDER PEOPLE'S MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has launched guidelines aimed at enhancing the care of older people by specifically addressing their mental health needs. The RCN Guidelines for Assessing Mental Health Needs in Old Age have also been designed for nurses working in any care setting to contribute to mental health assessment and diagnosis, as well as to plan nursing intervention and goals more effectively.

The guidelines explore why mental health assessment is needed, what such assessment is and its main areas, in- duding mood, cognitive abilities and behaviour, normality, and principles of assessment. The guidelines were pro- duced by a team of members of RCN Focus on Older People, Nursing and Mental Health, a specialist RCN mem- bership group.

U N D E R S T A N D I N G ARTHRITIS

A helpful short publication Understanding Arthritis and Joint Replacement (ISBN 1-898205-01-9) by Professor Vema Wright, professor of rbeumatology, University of Leeds, has been published by Family Doctor Publications in as- sociation with the British Medical Association.

Free copies are available from Family Doctor Publications, 163 New King's Road, London SW6 4SN, England.

REPORT ON NEONATAL SERVICES

Nursing Quality Counts: a Case Study of Neonatal Services, 1990--1992 by Nicky James et al. (ISBN 0953-3613) is a very interesting discussion of the dilemmas faced by service providers in the context of current NHS policy directions, es- pecially about the tension between nurse staffing levels and standards, and about understanding the impact of technology and of facilitating education on work- load. It really contains four reports pre- sented so that each can stand alone and at the same time form the final report.

The report and its findings will be of interest not only to those providing neonatal nursing services but also to other health service professionals facing similar dilemmas.

Copies of the report are avail- able from the Department of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, University of Nottingham, Faculty of Medicine, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, England.

COPING WITH CANCER THAT CANNOT BE CURED

How can you go on living when you learn you have cancer that cannot be cured7 How can you provide the best kind of care at home for someone you love when you know they are dying from cancer? These are two of the most asked questions about cancer. And two new booklets from CancerLink can help answer these questions.

Living With Cancer That Cannot Be Cured and Caring At Home When Cancer Cannot Be Cured are the latest publi- cations from CancerLink, 17 Britannia Street, London WDIX 9JN, England the national charity providing support and information to people affected by cancer.

TOOTH DECAY IN THE UNITED K I N G D O M

British Dental Association figures show that half of all 5-year-olds in the United Kingdom have tooth decay, with an average of two decayed teeth per child. The figures are even more alarming for 15-year-olds, 90% of whom have an average of six decayed teeth each. According to the British Dental Associ- ation, much of the pain and discomfort of dental treatment could be avoided by educating children about a healthy diet from an early age.

A new leaflet entitled When Your Child is Thirsty, produced by the National Dairy Council with the help of the British Dental Association, is now available for further information and distribution to the public. You can obtain free copies in bulk by writing to: 'When

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Your Child is Thirsty' (C3), National Dairy Council, 5-7 John Princes Street, London WIM 0AP, England.

PRIMARY HEALTH CARE IN A CHANGING W O R L D

The 4th International Primary Health Care Conference, sponsored by Nursing Times and Community Outlook, will be held at the Kensington Town Hall, London, England, i -3 June I994. The theme of the conference is 'Primary Health Care in a Changing World'.

For further information contact the 4th International Primary Health Care Conference Office, 4 Little Essex Street, London WC2R 3LF, England.

NURSE A W A R D E D FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF L O N D O N

Michael McGeorge JP RGN DN Cer- tificate, an independent nurse adviser, formerly senior nurse manager with CamberweU Health Authority, London, has been created a Freeman of the City of London in recognition of his volun- tary work with homeless people in Whitechapei, London.

NEW EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH FOR NURSES IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

ALmost 400 nurses from hospitals and community centres were presented with nursing diplomas of the Faculty of Nurs- ing at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland earlier this year. 'It is essential for nurses to develop more questioning atti- tudes and greater research awareness in this country', said the dean of the RCSI Faculty of Nursing, Josephine Bartley, at the diploma awards ceremony. Ms Bartley also announced plans to set up a nursing research centre in the College which will offer a further resource to promoting ongoing research and edu- cation among nurses in Ireland.

The Faculty of Nursing, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, is a postgraduate continuing education centre for nurses which was established in 1974. Its aims are to provide nurses with the oppor- tunity to become continuous learners in order to benefit society, to advance the science, art and practice of nursing and to promote education, study and research in nursing. Over 8000 diplomas have been awarded since its foundation, covering a whole range of subjects. In 1993, a total of 766 nurses sat the examinations

in 13 subjects with a pass rate of 90%. Seventy-one nurses gained dis- tinctions.

EXPANSION OF THE JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING NEXT YEAR

From January 1994, the number of schol- arly papers published each month in the Journal will be increased from 20 to 25. The total number of papers published in 1994 will, therefore, be 300 (in two volumes).

That will make the ]ournal of Advanced Nursing one of the largest, authoritative, learned journals in the world.

Its contents, devoted to nursing, mid- wffery and health visiting worldwide, are already read in some 65 countries. Editorials, news, book reviews, confer- ence reports and the Janforum series will also continue to appear in the journal on a regular basis.

For one annual subscription, subscrib- ers will now have two volumes of the Journal of Advanced Nursing each year. Volume 19 will consist of papers pub- lished in the Journal from January to June 1994. Volume 20 will consist of papers published in the July to December 1994 issues.

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