Online Resource Centre

Johnson urges trusts to spend personal development budgets 17-Nov-08
NHS training budgets will not be raided as the credit crunch starts to bite, health secretary Alan Johnson has pledged.

'Monopoly' warning as PCT staff absorbed by foundation trust 17-Nov-08
Hundreds of nurses, podiatrists and other clinicians from two Teesside PCTs have been transferred to a foundation trust.

Nurses fear linking QOF to cost will create perverse incentives 17-Nov-08
Three out of four nurses fear that linking QOF targets to cost-effectiveness will create perverse incentives for clinicians, an Independent Nurse survey shows.

Winter drug shortages forecast 20-Oct-08
Planned cuts in the price of branded medicines and a weak pound could leave the UK short of medicines this winter, the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (BAPW) has warned.

Aspirin does not stop MI in diabetes 20-Oct-08
Taking aspirin regularly does not prevent heart attacks in high-risk patients with diabetes, UK research suggests.

Timing critical for medicine to work 20-Oct-08
Adjusting the time at which drugs for conditions such as hypertension are taken can be as effective for some patients as changing treatment regimen, a review suggests.

NICE approval for more diabetes drugs 20-Oct-08
Draft NICE guidelines on new type-2 diabetes drugs recommend second-line use of DPP-4 inhibitors and glitazones in some patients.

Increased aneurysm risk for smokers 20-Oct-08
Women who smoke are eight times more likely to have an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair or rupture than women who have never smoked, US research suggests.

Reprieve given on mixed drugs in syringe drivers 08-Sep-08
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has effectively lifted the threat of being struck off from nurses unwittingly breaking the law by independently prescribing drugs that are mixed in syringe drivers.

Drug offers hope for Alzheimer's patients 04-Aug-08
An experimental drug has shown promise for slowing the progress of Alzheimer's disease in a small trial, claim researchers.

Bar on nurses prescribing mixed drugs hinders palliative care plans' 04-Aug-08
Rules barring nurse prescribers from prescribing drugs that need mixing in syringe drivers could hinder DoH plans to offer more people palliative care at home.

CLINICAL EDUCATION

Improving the lives of patients with COPD 17-Nov-08
Reducing exacerbations is the key to improving everyday life for people with COPD, writes David Long.

Musculoskeletal - Managing Tennis elbow 17-Nov-08
Lateral epicondylitis usually responds to conservative treatment, says Dr Harry Brown.

Case study - Treating adult eczema 06-Oct-08
The treatment of three different presentations of eczema is outlined by Dr Nigel Stollery.

An update on childhood immunisation 20-Oct-08
The schedule of the childhood vaccination programme is complex. Gina Robinson explains.

Compression therapy for venous leg ulcers 20-Oct-08
International consensus on compression therapy has been reached. Kathryn Vowden and Professor Peter Vowden discuss the guidance.

Tackling chronic low back pain - Pain management 20-Oct-08
Remember to consider psychosocial factors in patients with chronic back pain, says Audrey Wang.

Clincal Review: Gout 03-Sep-08
Contributed by Dr Richard Stevens, consultant rheumatologist, Buckinghamshire Hospitals.

Patient-centred care in rheumatoid arthritis 04-Aug-08
There is an unmet need for pain control among patients with RA, writes Olwen Glynn Owen.

Medical management of asthma
The stepwise approach to asthma management is well established, writes Dr David Morris.

How asthma care is changing
Recent innovations in asthma care and the future implications for practice are reviewed by Julie Hall.

Switching to low-dose simvastatin
Changing to generic simvastatin may bring significant cost benefits. By Dr James Moon and Dr Richard Bogle.

Tailoring oral contraception to patient need
Prescribers need to consider the risk-benefit balance when choosing which oral contraceptive to offer their patient, writes Dr David Morris.

The impact of polypharmacy in hypertension
Addressing the issue of polypharmacy can improve outcomes. By Professor Anthony Barnett and Dr Ashish Samat.

Managing psoriasis in the elderly
Psoriasis is more prevalent in older people, but they are less likely to consult their GP about it. By Dr Richard Parslew.

Rosemary Cook: 'Swinging' and other stress-busting tips
by Rosemary Cook 17-Nov-08
November 5 was Bonfire Night, but it was also national Stress at Work day,

Editorial: Training money must reach frontline nurses
by Emma Bower 17-Nov-08
Last month, sexual health and heart failure became part of the QOF for the first time

Editorial - The DoH must plan for nursing's future
by Emma Bower 06-Oct-08
Figures released last week show that practices have improved on their QOF scores for the third year running.

London leads the way in funding nurse CPD
by Emma Bower 22-Sep-08
NHS staff are used to upheaval and change. Some times this change brings problems and difficulties, at others it is change for change's sake to satisfy the latest political whim.

Editorial: Coherent guidelines will benefit nurses
By Sarah Wild 02-Nov-08
Following hot on the heels of last month's package of changes to the QOF, NICE's intention to get involved in the development of framework may well fill practice nurses with dread.

Opinion: Integration need not mean anonymity
by Rosemary Cook 20-Oct-08
Practice nursing has always been different from other nursing jobs. I spotted this at the interview for my practice nurse post, held at 9pm.

Editorial: New QOF work could stretch nurses to limit
by Sarah Wild 20-Oct-08
Anything that is good for patients tends to be championed by nurses.

Editorial - Leadership required over extended hours
by Sarah Wild
According to IN's exclusive survey, 27 per cent of practice nurses have been asked to work extended hours since ministers decided that practices would lose income unless they opened for longer.

Editorial: The DoH can no longer have its cake and eat it
by GP Newspaper editorial